Who Loves the Water? Extemporary Edition
by sebastianathefirst
Summary: As Yuugi, Atemu, and the rest gang go for a vacation in Okinawa, they meet a flight crew, and wind up into another adventure concerning Dartz and the Orichalcos. Memories are made and reopened as the gang travel through an alternate world for the truth...
1. On Account of Now

**A/N:** THAT'S IT I'VE TOTALLY REWRITTEN IT!! Why does flaming piss me off so bad?

**Chapter One: On Account of Now**

"Hey, Yuugi!" Jounouchi hooked an arm around the smaller boy's neck when everybody had met up. "Doing anything today?"

He shook his head. "Help with the shop, play games…no real plans today."

"Why don't we all go somewhere?" suggested Anzu. "I did want to get a few clothes…"

"I'm going to the arcade," said Otogi. "Anybody else coming?"

"Wanna go, Yuugi?" asked Jounouchi, and he nodded.

"Bakura and I'll get something to eat," said Honda. "Does Atemu want to go somewhere?"

Yuugi shrugged. "He'd just go get some more cards. Nothing else ever interests him but games."

"We'll see about that," said Anzu, remembering her last dates with the ex-pharaoh. "I'll take him with me, and after we do our business, how about dinner at the park?"

"At night?" asked Otogi.

"The park's a free territory; nothing to get worked up about," said Bakura. "Park it is; we'll buy the food."

"We'll all be there at seven, ya hear?" warned Jounouchi.

"With a condition," said Honda. "You have to take Shizuka with you."

"What?" Everybody else just laughed.

* * *

Back at the Kame Game Shop, the phone had rung. Sugoroku picked it up. "Moshi, moshi?" he asked. "Oh, Yuugi!"

Atemu was sitting at the counter, sleeping. His eyes opened and his ears perked at the name. "Yuugi! He's on the phone?"

"Shh, shh!" hissed Sugoroku, and pressed his own ear to the phone. "…Yes, he's here…go where? Oh…let me ask him. He paused to cover the mouthpiece. "Yuugi's asking if you wanted to go with Anzu."

"Another date?" the ex-pharaoh sighed. "Where to?"

"Hold on—" Sugoroku removed his hand, and asked Atemu's question. "She's says you san go anywhere as long as you gather up by seven.

"It's only three-thirty," the pharaoh said. "Where are we supposed to go before seven?"

"Remember: it's the man who plans the dates. Be thankful you aren't, yet."

Atemu stood up. "…Tell her anywhere is okay. I'll just dress up."

When he left, Sugoroku spoke to Yuugi again. "He says anywhere is fine."

"That's great!" Yuugi cheered. "Anzu's lucky she doesn't have to make any real plans…"

"Yuugi, Atemu is a 3,000 year old Egyptian. Dating was not a custom that time. He wouldn't know what to do."

"He can play games," the grandson replied. "And not only Duel Monsters. I taught him concentration, then shogi, then checkers, and chess. He's getting really good at all of them."

"Can he beat you?"

"Not yet."

Sugoroku chuckled. "The summer break's almost here. You have plans, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't forget to involve Atemu."

"Sure."

"Just reminding. You kids go have fun."

"We will. Ja, Jiichan!"

The old man chuckled again before hanging up. Then, he sighed. "Kids."

"Jiisan," Atemu appeared from the back door, in his new clothes. "Are these okay?"

"Oh, those are fine! It's just a stroll around the city!" Sugoroku then approached him, and unbuttoned his jacket. "Sure, it's cold now, but summer's on the way."

"…Thank you." The _Yuugi-ou_ rearranged his jacket, and reached into his pocket to draw out his money. "Is this enough?"

"Your part-time earnings?" the old man looked in disbelief. There was so much money for someone who barely knows how to spend alone. "You're saving up." He patted on the ex-pharaoh's shoulder. "Have a good time, you hear?"

"I will." A smirk curled upon Atemu's lips. "And I'll come back with Yuugi."

"By all means, take him home, go to Anzu's and sleep with her," Sugoroku joked.

"You mean…a sleepover?" Sugoroku sighed and shook his head; Atemu had most obviously gotten the wrong idea, and pushed him out of the house.

* * *

After the phone call, everybody split up. Yuugi, Jounouchi, and Otogi then reached the Big Web. "What do we play first?" asked Yuugi.

"Fighting games?" Jounouchi yawned. "The arcade kinda looks new to you if you haven't been visiting it in a while, right?"

"Or if you've been hooked to Duel Monsters for too long…" said Otogi, referring to the both of them. "Jounouchi, can I get a gift for Shizuka?"

"What'll you get?"

"Is a teddy bear okay?"

"No." Jounouchi was the first to step in. "Isn't it bad enough that she's with Honda and you're stuck with us? Yuugi, are you gonna play?"

The boy had already beaten him to it. "Are you just gonna stand there?"

The two chuckled nervously, and approached Yuugi. He was winning against his opponent: a man who knows tae kwon do.

"Pretty good," remarked Jounouchi, and he sat beside his friend. "…Fine, Otogi, get the teddy bear. On one condition."

"Yeah?"

"I'll give it as _my_ present." Jounouchi slipped a token he'd saved into the coin slot. "Are you gonna get it or what?"

With a disgusted look, Otogi left. Yuugi looked back. "Jounouchi, you shouldn't have told him off like that."

"Nah, he'll be fine," assured Jounouchi. "How would he manage to get Dungeon Dice Monsters up if he was such a sissy over Shizuka?"

"Never thought of that. I won!"

"Hey, not bad—for someone who keeps playing Duel Monsters."

"I play other games, too."

"Yeah, yeah, King of Games, I know…c'mon, no hard feelings, alright?"

"I guess…" Yuugi sighed. When the concentration was diverted to the game, they were neck and neck. In the end, Yuugi won again.

At the next level, Jounouchi decided to break the silence a bit. "Is Yami Yuugi…_Atemu_ having any fun, lately?" he asked.

Yuugi had answered only after landing another hit on Jounouchi's character. "Yeah. Of course he is. Why shouldn't he?"

"Well, he came back to see _you_, right?"

"Don't count yourselves out," said Yuugi. "You're his friends, too. Promise me we'll take him when summer comes."

"Where?"

"Okinawa, remember?"

"Oh, right. Does your Grandpa know?"

Yuugi nodded. "I've got enough to handle myself and Atemu, so I wanted to treat him for the flight and the rooms. What about you?"

"Yep, me and Shizuka are gonna be just fine. And Honda's asking money from his sister. Anzu's coming, too—as long as Johji doesn't come.

Yuugi laughed. "Honda's perverted nephew? I've totally forgotten about that brat. I win again!"

"That was only the first round!" Indeed, the same fighters were shown for another round. "I'm gonna get ya for that!"

He did; now that his focus was on the game, he beat Yuugi on that round, but not before he had little hit points left.

"Jounouchi…when we go to Okinawa, do you think something will happen?"

"Oh? I think a lot of things will happen. We'll eat, we'll go swimming, we talk to the neighbors, we fool around…we'll do the tourist stuff. But it wouldn't be as good as San Francisco, would it?"

"San Francisco? Oh, America!" Yuugi remembered when they had to go to America to see Pegasus. "We wouldn't be riding his planes anymore," he sighed.

"So, you think his planes are better?" a voice spoke behind them.

They turned, and Mokuba Kaiba stood before them. "Long time no see."

"Wanna take over?" Jounouchi offered his seat to Mokuba, in hopes to beat Yuugi through him. He gladly sat down, and began the next round. "So, what brings ya here?"

"Nothing to do. Niisama's wrapping something up, so he sent me out for some free time. Kinda rare for that to happen at all."

"Don't remind me of that Kaiba!" Jounouchi whined, hearing his rival's voice in his head: _bonkotsu_, _bonkotsu_, _bonkotsu_…

"How is he these days?" asked Yuugi, then let Mokuba land a hit on him.

"He's working on his best project!" the boy answered. "He didn't want you to know, but I'll tell you, anyway. He's gonna make a Duel Academy!"

"Duel Academy?" Jounouchi repeated. "Where's he gonna make one? There's no space for anymore of his skyscrapers!"

"On an artificial island, he says, in the sea, near Honshu!"

"I hope the Academy isn't as big as Honshu," said Yuugi, and Mokuba laughed, saying it won't be. "Do you think you can stay out after seven?"

"If I told him. Why?"

"We're all going to the park at that time," said Jounouchi. "Want some dinner?"

"I don't mind."

"Awright! This is gonna be a reunion!" Jounouchi cheered. "What's better, no Kaiba!"

"Jounouchi."

"Eh?" He saw Otogi, with _two_ teddy bears in hand. "I solved the problem: we'll give Shizuka one each."

"That's clever, Otogi…" Yuugi chuckled nervously.

* * *

"C'mon, you have to try it!" Anzu offered a cup of ice cream to Atemu, who kept rejecting.

"I told you, I don't like sweet things," he told her. "A drink is all I need."

"It's liquid," returned Anzu. "I'll just force it inside." She hastily drew a scoop.

"What do you mea—ah!" Anzu jabbed his side, and when his mouth opened, she shoved the spoon straight into it. The substance was cold, _very_ cold. As if the air conditioning in the mall wasn't cold enough. Then a dizzy pain broke out in his head. "A-ow…"

"Oops, sorry," said Anzu. "If you swallow a big chunk of ice cream, or anything cold, you get what's called brain freeze."

"I'll remember that," murmured Atemu. "And I didn't swallow it all deliberately; you pushed it into me!"

"You can't say that you didn't enjoy it! Everybody likes ice cream, you know!"

The ex-pharaoh turned away, saying nothing of the matter. "Fine—but don't force it into me. I can feed myself."

"Sure," Anzu handed over his cup. "So…how are things?"

"So-so," Atemu responded bluntly, taking a small scoop of ice cream, and gently placing the spoon into his mouth.

Anzu motioned him to walk with her, and he obeyed, strolling beside. "So-so? Aren't you having fun?"

"I do have fun…of course I do," answered Atemu. "_This_…is fun."

"Well, you think ice cream is fun, then how about eating in an expensive restaurant? Or a big buffet of food? How about that?"

"…To be honest…I don't think so. I'm not used to eating so much."

He heard Anzu take a deep breath, and sigh. "That's good. You'd love to see the dinner Bakura'll prepare at the park."

"Was that why we gather at seven?" Anzu nodded at his question. "Anzu…about the summer coming—"

"Oh, yeah! Yuugi's planning to treat you this summer! He's gonna pay for your flight and your room when we stay in Okinawa."

"Okinawa?" repeated Atemu. "…He never told me."

"He was keeping it a surprise. He let me tell it to you today, though."

"I…" the ex-pharaoh cleared his throat. Apparently, he was glad about the news, but he wouldn't lose control. Instead, he smirked. "Thank you."

"Tell that to Yuugi," she replied. "He's always been so good to you, hasn't he?"

"True." He then looked at his ice cream. "I'm _beginning_ to like this…"

Anzu grinned. "You want another one?"

"It's okay; is there something else you want to show me?"

"I'd show you anything we hadn't covered up in our last dates." Anzu took his arm and led him around. "Like food! What're you up for?"

Atemu shrugged. "Another snack?"

He then watched Anzu look around, and beam in delight as if she found something he might want. "Stay right here," she told him, and ran off.

Atemu sighed, and sat down on a nearby bench. Making sure nobody looked, he smiled to himself. Yuugi had always, _always_ been good to him. He so wanted to repay his kindness, but what would he want from him?

An old man then sat down beside him, and opened a book that he was holding. He peeked over his shoulder, and saw that the book had little raised dots, and the man was running his wrinkled fingers over them, as if these were his means of reading.

"Atemu!" Anzu had come back, holding out a bar. "You _have_ to try this!"

The ex-pharaoh stood up, and took the bar in his hand, taking one last look at the old man: his eyes weren't at the book, but the fingers were still moving over the page. "…Anzu…if I may ask…what is he doing?" he pointed to him; he didn't seem to notice.

Anzu pulled him away a bit further before answering. "He's reading Braille."

"Braille? What's Braille?"

"You see…that man…is blind. He couldn't see. So, that book he's holding was typed in Braille, so they could _feel_ the forms of the letters."

"There are people who cannot see?"

"And there are people who cannot hear or speak. Hasn't Jiisan told you about handicaps?" Atemu shook his head. "Well, now you know. You want to eat that?"

"Oh." the man looked at the bar in his hand. "What _is_ this?" He removed the cover, revealing something brown, with a pleasant scent.

"Chocolate!" Anzu cried. "Everybody likes chocolate, but since you didn't like sweet things, I bought the dark one which was the least sweet. Have a bite!"

"…Okay…" Atemu reached for the chocolate with his mouth, and bit off a piece. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste. He looked toward Anzu, who was expecting an answer. He raised a thumb up.

"Delicious, huh?" asked Anzu, as he swallowed. "Great! I'll tell Yuugi to get some dark chocolate for all of us." She paused to check her watch. "We still have loads of time left. What else do you want to do?"

"A movie would pass the time," Atemu answered. "Your pick."

"Okay," the girl shrugged, and grabbed his arm again. He hasn't mentioned games not even for one moment. She smiled to herself.

_Told you so..._

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** What time is it? Summertime: it's our vacation! Ha! All the time to do what I want! Friendster! Fanfiction! Fictionpress! IMEEM! But the best is: swimming! My best sport, EVER! Ahem well, anyway, you'll expect chapter 2 in more or less, a week! Thank you, sweet respondents in my thread for the tips!

_**ANTICIPATE!**_ …The ice cream and the chocolate are understandable…but blind people and Braille? Something _very_ fishy is going on…but to refresh my head, Diner Dash!


	2. Echo

**A/N:** I'ma back, people! I took so much time thinking on the whole story that I almost forgot to write this. Suimasen! Anyway, here's…

**Chapter Two: Echo**

Time passed quickly after the movie. When it had ended, Anzu and Atemu had little time left for their date before they go to the park.

"What did you think?" asked Anzu.

"The movie was nice," the man answered, giving a little smirk. "Are we going to the park already?"

"We've got lots of time left!" said Anzu. "Don't be in such a hurry! Where do you wanna go next?"

Atemu looked around. There wasn't anything particularly interesting around the movie house, other than popcorn and bulletins. Turning to leave, it was only then that he noticed a little jewelry shop.

And he thought of something.

"Anzu…would you stay here for a moment, please?" he asked her. Anzu gave him an inquisitive stare. "I'll be back in a minute," he assured, and had her sit down on a staircase before running for the shop, making sure she doesn't see. He quickly entered, and hid behind the glass panel. Then he stared at the little stones on strings, and decided on what his date would like…

When he found it, it was a little necklace strung with ebony spaghetti beads and a pendant of a little blue rose. The color matched Anzu's eyes perfectly, and it wasn't as expensive as Atemu had expected it to be.

After buying it, he tucked the necklace into his pocket, and ran back to Anzu, who'd waited patiently on her own. "I'm back," he told her.

"I can see that," she giggled in reply, and stood up. "What got you running?"

"Close your eyes," he said.

"…Why?"

"It'll only be a minute," he assured again, "or less, if I'm lucky."

"Lucky about what?"

"Just close your eyes!"

Anzu obeyed, and Atemu quickly reached out for the necklace, and stood on the stairs behind her so he was higher. Carefully, he wound the string of beads around her neck and under the collar of her blouse, making sure it doesn't touch her skin. Then he clipped it at the nape, and had her turn around, facing him.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." He watched as the lids lifted up, and then he asked, "Where's your mirror?"

"…My mirror?" she repeated, and then almost leaned down when Atemu caught her chin in his hand. "It's in my bag," she answered with a blush, handing the said item to him.

Without breaking eye contact, Atemu opened her bag with his other hand and searched until he found it beside her wallet. Taking his fingers off Anzu, he opened it, and showed to Anzu the reflection of the beads around her neck.

Her eyes widened and looked down at the real thing. "…It's beautiful…" she gasped. "…Was it expensive?"

"Not at all," the ex-pharaoh answered. "I thought of buying something for you…just once. I take it you don't mind."

"Not at all," Anzu repeated his words. "Thank you so much, Atemu." She leaned upwards to kiss his cheek. "So far, this is one of the best gifts I've had."

Atemu placed a hand to his cheek where the kiss was planted. "Anzu, I'm…" he paused to find a formal word, and cleared his throat, "…_gratified_ that you like it." He smiled at her, and offered his arm. "Let's go."

* * *

"So, you're saying that Kaiba's not gonna be leaving the building any sooner because of that Duel Academy?" asked Jounouchi, and Mokuba nodded. "Awright! It's a Kaiba-free summer!"

"Three cheers!" added Otogi. "We have to make a toast for this!"

Yuugi simply cleared his throat, signaling that a Kaiba was in their presence, _and_ an immediate relative to the unwanted member.

"…Right, sorry 'bout that," said Jounouchi. "Anyway, at least we got you for dinner, Mokuba."

"Y-yeah, it's almost as if you're representing the Kaibas…" Otogi tagged in.

"Uh-huh," said Mokuba, obviously distracted. "Um…say, guys, what if I told you I want to go to Okinawa with you?"

"How'd you know about Okinawa?" asked Yuugi.

"Niisama mentioned it."

"Rephrasing Yuugi's question: how'd _he_ know about Okinawa?" said Jounouchi. "I don't care if he knows people, but how'd he find out we're goin' outta town on vacation?"

"And why would he care even saying it to Mokuba?" said Otogi. "He could live without ever telling. Maybe he wanted to duel you in private, Yuugi."

"It's not that," interrupted Mokuba. "See, we have an old friend living there. If I hadn't brought her up, Niisama would've forgotten her for good. See, she lives in Okinawa."

"So it's a _girl_?" teased Otogi. "I never knew Kaiba had a girlfriend. How old is she?"

"She's not his girlfriend!" Mokuba told him sternly. "And she's seventeen."

"Isn't Shizuka turning seventeen this November, Jounouchi?" Yuugi asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, and _this_—" Jounouchi held out a large teddy bear he was carrying. "—will be my advanced birthday present. Better than both of Otogi's little dolls, aren't they?"

"You never said you can buy from a real store," argued Otogi, looking at the teddy bears he'd won in each arm.

"Hey, you knew you was gonna get a teddy bear for Shizuka; isn't the rest common sense?"

As they argued, Yuugi tugged slightly on Mokuba's arm, and tossed his head forward. Understanding the message, they both quickened their steps until they were far enough, and finally sped away.

"…the way here!" Otogi finished, and looked before them. "…Are Yuugi and Mokuba ditching us?"

"Oi! Wait up!" Jounouchi called, and they ran after the boys.

"Your loss!" Mokuba called back, and chuckled as he ran. "So, can I come with you?"

"Sure, as long as you pay for your own things," Yuugi replied, panting.

"Alright! I'm taking Niisama to see Kyoushi!"

"What about Jounouchi?"

"You handle him!" Mokuba looked back. "Darn, they're closing on us!"

"Crowd ahead; slow your pace!" said Yuugi, and they wove through the people, past guards, and avoiding dogs. As soon as they left it off, they turned into the next alley.

Mokuba sat down on the pavement and watched Yuugi place his hands on his knees, panting. "Think we lost them?"

"At least we taught them a lesson," he answered, smiling. "It's just a half hour more before seven. What else is there to do?"

"Wait for them, I guess," said Mokuba, peeking out. "What is with the crowd? Think it's worth checking out?"

"What if Jounouchi and Otogi go past us? We won't be here to pull them in. We'll see when they arrive."

As soon as the boys dove into the crowd, Jounouchi stopped. "Dammit! We lost 'em!"

"Lost your temper that fast?" teased Otogi. "You started it, you know."

"Did not!" Jounouchi argued back, when his eyes diverted to the center of the crowd. There was a mortally wounded dog—and it was still alive. Jounouchi tossed his teddy bear away, leaving Otogi to catch it. "You take 'em to Yuugi; I'll go check it out.

With a pout, Otogi left, and Jounouchi strolled over, and went through. He threaded forward, and gave the occasional statements of "'Scuse me, ma'm,", "Sorry, kiddo,", and "Coming through, people!"

When he finally reached the front lines, he was just in time to see the dog being placed on a stretcher, and couldn't stop himself from moving toward it.

A policeman blocked his way. "No civilians past this area, sir," he said. "Please get back."

"Outta the way!" Jounouchi pushed him aside with one swift motion, and kneeled beside the injured animal. From the looks of it, he was sped over by a lightweight car, and a mechanism that stuck out tore a gash upon its side; it's a miracle he was still alive.

"Hey, little guy," the blond said, stroking the dog's fur. "You're a strong one, aren't you? Surviving a ram like that would've killed any ordinary dog!"

As Jounouchi ran his hand along the back, he felt a thin line of fur growing in the opposite direction than the rest. "Hey, you're a ridgeback! Never seen one of you in a while."

The dog gave a faint whimper, and opened his mouth to pant. It was clear to Jounouchi's eyes that it was scared.

Jounouchi leaned closer. "You're gonna be alright. These doctors are gonna make you better, and when you are, you can do what you want again."

"Coming through! Coming through!" a voice in the crowd called. It was Yuugi, and he had reached his friend at front. "Jounouchi…" They stared at each other for a while.

A paramedic touched Jounouchi's shoulder. "Sir, we have to take him now."

"Alright." He stood up, and watched the stretcher being loaded into the vehicle before setting off down the road. "You get better now, you hear!" he called.

"Jounouchi!" Yuugi snapped out from the scene and ran to his side. "What was that about?"

"That dog reminded me of another," he answered. "A ridgeback, just like him; I was attached to it real good."

"I think you mentioned it before," said Yuugi. "Hope it gets better."

Jounouchi nodded. "C'mon, Yuugi, we gotta go to the park." And they strolled off the crowd, as if nothing remarkable had happened.

Otogi and Mokuba were waiting in an alley, and the blond took back his large teddy from the boy, whom Otogi had given it to. "What was going on?" Mokuba asked.

"Just treating a dog," he answered. "C'mon, I can't wait to see the look on Shizuka's face when she sees three teddy bears for her!"

Yuugi sighed to Mokuba. It was as if the chase had never happened; Jounouchi and Otogi were still at it.

But to himself, frankly, he was quite proud of his friend. They might not know, but he did. That simply showed he truly cared, even if it was a dog. _Get better soon…_he thought, _you understand? You're lucky to have met my friend Jounouchi…_

_

* * *

_

"Oh, look!" Anzu removed her arm from his date's, and pointed inside an instrument shop. "It's Tazue!"

"Which Tazue?" Atemu asked.

"Both of them! Look!" she entered the shop, where two green-eyed redheads were checking the guitars. "Tata! Zue!"

It was the girl who noticed them first. She was quite flat-chested; she was frquently mistaken for a boy in school. "Oi, Zue," she nudged her brother, "look 'ere."

The boy turned. "Atemu? Anzu? What are you doing here?"

It was Anzu's turn to nudge Atemu. She'd been getting him to talk to them since Bakura introduced them to him. "Go on," she whispered through gritted teeth.

"W-we…" he started, "We were going to the park when Anzu saw you."

"That so?" Tata asked. "Can we come along? I've got a score to settle with that—"

"Tata, yameru," Zue ordered. "Gomen, Anzu-san…she had a bit of an…argument with Bakura."

"Bakura?" Anzu repeated, "_Our_ Bakura? He never argues."

"He still doesn't; it was Tata who started it." That earned Zue a glare from his sister. "We'll stay here and you go on."

"No, Zue," protested Tata, "you stay here and I'll go with them to Bakura." She pushed him aside and stepped beside Atemu.

"Suit yourself," Zue shrugged. "Just come back home after dinner."

"Fine," she growled, and left the store ahead. Anzu and Atemu followed her, and now they were a party of three for the park dinner.

The man stayed behind the girls, as he did not know his way around the city yet. As he followed, he listened to their conversation. At first, they talked about clothes and music, and what they were doing since they last met. Frankly, to him they were boring until Anzu finally brought up something to his attention.

"So, how's Kisobi?"

"Still, blind, still clumsy, still screwy," Tata gave a short answer. "Recently, Masate got her a _Nightmare Before Christmas_ Soundtrack, and he said she wanted to listen to all the songs until she memorized 'em."

"The _Nightmare Before Christmas_?" said Anzu. "Wasn't that from 1993? Nobody knows about it anymore!"

"C'mon, it's a musical! It's perfect for the kid!" Tata answered with a peeved tone. "Cut her some slack, will ya?"

Atemu took a brisk step forward, so he was beside Tata. "Does she read Braille?"

"Yeah, but she listens to music more often," the girl answered bluntly, as if Atemu had asked one of the dumbest questions of the lot. "She's addicted to the Disney movies, but the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ was her favorite."

"…Disney?" Atemu uttered the name. "What's…Disney?"

"You know about blind people, but _God_, you don't know Disney?" Tata then turned to Anzu. "What's Yuugi feeding him? Nothing amnesiac, right?"

Anzu ignored and explained to Atemu: "Disney's this company which is responsible for most of the animated movies right now. Practically every one has songs in them. _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ wasn't exactly made by Disney itself, but it did contribute to making the soundtrack."

"I bet Kisobi's singing _Sally's Song_, or maybe _Kidnap the Sandy Claws_ as we speak," said Tata.

"Aww, Barrel! I thought he and Jack were kinda cute in the movie," added Anzu. "I still remember wanting to dance beside him in _This is Halloween_." A blush streaked across her face. "Mmm, Jack…" she began humming the song she spoke of.

"What's the _Nightmare Before Christmas_?" Atemu then asked as they turned. "And why does…Kisobi like it so much?"

"I'm not gonna spoil ya, but Kisobi loved it because of the songs. Unlike the other movie, that was the first musical. There were only a few scenes that had needed ordinary dialogue, and practically no scene that doesn't have background music in it. But the story's kinda funny. I mean, Halloween meets Christmas? What's up with that?"

"I watched it with Yuugi once," said Anzu. "You could see it for yourself if you like."

"I will," Atemu answered.

"When will you visit her?" asked Anzu.

"Sometime soon, I hope," answered Tata.

"Have you found the cause of the blindness?"

"Not yet."

"You mean…she wasn't blind all the time?" asked Atemu.

"It's only her first year. Left for a trip with a friend, then came home blind and all."

"You said she's forgotten everything before her blindness," spoke Anzu.

"Yep, she totally forgot everything. Now she's a dunce who listens to Disney films!"

"I think it's really cute!" spoke Anzu. "I wish _I _could meet Kisobi…"

"And what, turn her into some test subject?" Tata snapped. "Make her walk the street with one foot on the pavement and another in the gutter like she's Pippi Longstocking?" Anzu and Atemu stared at her, bewildered. "…Sorry. That kinda…really happened to her. Some scientists living in her area treated her case like it was a Wonder of the World…or somethin'."

"She didn't mind, right?" asked Anzu. "You said she was a dunce."

"Nah, she don't mind them one bit. Funny thing is, she don't cooperate with 'em, either." Tata chuckled. "I kinda wish you do meet her soon."

Atemu then dismissed himself from the conversation, and looked up to the sky. All this talk about Disney and handicaps was giving him a headache…a really bad headache.

* * *

**A/N:** Isn't that just sweet? Atemu finally gets to repay Anzu's kindness with a gift. Awww…And who knew Jounouchi knew a dog from his childhood? And thank you to my aunt in America who'd given me lots of Nightmare Before Christmas stuff last year (including the OST)! And thank you all who have read!

**_ANTICIPATE!_** Dinner at the park! ...Yes, I've confirmed that Domino HAS a park...in episode 53...


	3. Joys and Fears Aren't Easy to Forget

**A/N:** Yes, I'm on Chapter 3 already! Sorry it had to take so long; I was working on another story (and 2 more, at that :P) …The summer really has its advantages…-snickers, planning _evil_ plot- There ya have it though:

**Chapter 03: Joys and Fears Aren't Easy to Forget **

As agreed, everybody met up at seven: Yuugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, Otogi, Bakura, and guests like Atemu, Shizuka Mokuba, and Tata. Fortunately, Honda and Bakura were smart enough to buy more food than they needed…_much_ more than they needed.

Jounouchi and Otogi gave Shizuka their teddy bears, and she thanked them. Tata and Mokuba have not met before, so they shook each other's hands. Finally—

"Aw yeah, ya made it!" Jounouchi clapped a shoulder on Atemu's back. "Glad to have ya for dinner!"

"Weren't you with Yuugi when he called the house?" Atemu asked, almost choking.

"Can't be too sure, right?" the blond asked back. "And look, you even got Bakura's girlfriend with you! Aren't you the luckiest guy on earth!" he slapped the ex-pharaoh's back again, this time, earning a grunt.

"Don't mind them, Tata," Anzu assured her. "Boys are all the same: bring one girl into a horde of them, and they go thinking she has a boyfriend amongst them. _Right_, Yuugi?"

"That isn't true!" he said with a blush. "Atemu…you want to help out set the food?"

"Okay," he answered bluntly, and left to follow Yuugi.

They were all silent until Anzu spoke again. "…We were talking about Kisobi. He almost looked like he took her seriously…"

"Kisobi?" Honda repeated the name. "Oh, you mean the blind kid? What about her?"

"She's addicted to Disney and the _Nightmare Before Christmas_," answered Tata. "And your friend doesn't know either." She pointed to Atemu.

"…Why don't we just help them get dinner ready?" Shizuka suggested.

Bakura nodded. "It isn't fair for them." He motioned Tata to follow him, and she obeyed without as much as a pout.

There was an awkward silence with the rest. There was nothing else to say.

* * *

"Kanpai!" everybody made the toast; the underaged used soda cans; the rest used saké. The memories began to pour, and so far, it was either talk, or drink.

"Remember when Jounouchi's head got stuck in the water bucket last year?" said Otogi. "They needed half an hour just to get it off!

Honda and Tata guffawed, and Jounouchi returned, "How about when you tripped over on the sidewalk and got your foot stuck in the canal." Then he joined; his voice louder than everybody else's.

"And there was last Christmas!" Anzu called. They all silenced to hear the story. A sudden, eerie silence. And it was Atemu's turn to give an inquisitive stare.

"Before Christmas morning, Honda, Jounouchi, and I decided to meet up at Yuugi's house to give Atem a _merry_ Christmas." She cleared her throat at _merry_, meaning to say _first_ Christmas, but Tata was the only one amongst them who didn't know about Atem's origins.

Anzu went on. "Yuugi put some sleeping pills in his drinking water the past night, and Sugoroku closed the shop that day so Atemu didn't have to wake up early. We worked all night getting the first floor ready for Christmas: tree, lights, presents, everything."

"We switched the carpets, hung a wreath on the doors, decorated the tree," Yuugi continued, "then for the last touch we put the big 'Merry Christmas, Atemu!' banner in front the staircase." The boy paused to take one glance at Atemu, who nodded at him.

"We finished at around six in the morning, and Mom got a big breakfast ready. Everybody else ate the appetizers, while I had to pretend to sleep in my bed for a bit. When Honda gave me the signal, I woke him up, trying _not_ to be excited about anything."

"Downstairs, we all readied up to greet him," Honda spoke, "and it was kinda obvious Yuugi wanted to hurry up with the surprise. When he got him down, I called him, 'Oi! Forgotten what day it is?' Then we all cheered him 'Merry Christmas!'" He turned to Jounouchi, and they had to keep from snickering. "The look on him was _priceless_; like he was about to piss!"

Jounouchi couldn't resist, and clutched his stomach, laughing. It wasn't long before Anzu eyed him to stop. They look at Atemu, whose face was beet red, and they were positive it wasn't from the saké. "Hey, no offense," he patted the ex-pharaoh's shoulder, and leaned closer to him. "Learn to laugh at yourself," he whispered. "You're not a Pharaoh anymore."

He nodded at him, and drank more saké.

"We had him put the star on the tree," said Jounouchi. "Got the big breakfast buffet together, called everybody else, went around the city, and even spared time to get into KaibaCorp!" he patted Mokuba's head. "I just never how you guys thought of it, though."

"Tell them what you told me that night," Yuugi said to Atemu. "Let them all hear."

Atemu looked down a bit, set his saké aside, and faced them again. "I embraced Yuugi, thanking him for that day—thanking _you_ for that day. I never knew how fun it would be to live in this world with my own body…until you showed me."

Smiles curled into everyone's faces as he spoke. "I mean, think about it. Yuugi wakes me up early because he said I have a date with Anzu, and then I go down…and find the house redecorated, and my friends waiting for me down the stairs, my _best_ friend by my side…" he stopped, and looked at Yuugi. "Aibou…was that right?"

He shrugged placidly. "Sure." He couldn't keep the act for long; soon enough, he embraced him, and Tata quietly asked Bakura, "Are they _gay_?" He chuckled for a moment and shook his head.

"This year, we'll have a bigger, and better Christmas!" cheered Honda.

"Hold your horses, we still got summer!" said Jounouchi. "Beaches and bikinis!"

"Perv!" Anzu and Tata knocked him on the head, while Shizuka gave her brother a questioning stare.

"We've only got the finals left, and it's off to Okinawa!" said Bakura. "Tata, where are you spending your summer?"

Tata mumbled something before answering. "I'll be staying with Kisobi all summer, I guess…"

* * *

Soon after the party, Yuugi and Atemu had gotten straight home; the former scolded by Mrs. Mutou for not studying for the finals, and climbed the stairs to their room, where a futon had been set for Atem beside Yuugi's bed.

"I can't wait for Okinawa!" exclaimed Yuugi. "I'm so excited!"

"What can you find there?"

"Other that beaches and bikinis—" Yuugi rolled his eyes "—there a lot of fishermen, ports, US Air Bases, and forests. We'll be staying in Naha, near the airport."

"What do we do?"

"It's a vacation! We do what we _want_ to do! Jounouchi and I'll check out the old airplanes, Otogi, Honda, and Bakura will go to the beach, Shizuka and Anzu'll check out the Okinawa-Senseki Quasi National Park, and…what'll _you_ do?

Atemu apologetically shrugged. "I don't know."

"Oh…" Yuugi climbed on his bed and was about to lie down, when he remembered something. "…Tata was telling you about Kisobi, right?"

Atemu, who was flattening out his futon, looked up to Yuugi. "…Yes?"

"If I remember right, I think I heard Zue tell Bakura that she _lives_ in Okinawa, but…it's far from where we're staying. Anyway, we'll visit her soon."

"Okay." Atemu laid down on his futon, and closed his eyes. "Good night, Yuugi…"

"Mmm, night." Yuugi rolled and turned out the lights.

Atemu heard the clock ticking in his sleep, growing louder and stronger with each. In his mind's eye, he found himself dueling against Rapahel…and betraying Yuugi by using the Seal of Orichalcos. He saw himself crying and cradling Yuugi in his arms, and Dartz's face flashing before him, chuckling at him evilly…

"_She's must rest…"_

Atemu turned around, and everything turned white, except for Dartz's wife, Iona, dead in the arms of a monster. What startled him though was that Dartz himself had come charging behind and _through_ him…unseen and unfelt by either monarch of Atlantis.

"_Don't wake her up yet."_

Upon the monster's death, the palace walls take form around the two men, and in front of Atemu was a curtain where Dartz's silhouette can be seen. Peeping behind it was a girl no older than he is, clad in cotton and silk. She was no girl Atemu hadn't seen before, nor had Dartz mentioned another child, besides Chris.

Unable to speak, he reached out to touch the girl…

"_She's suffered too much…"_

As if knowing, the girl herself spun around, and pranced on Atemu, pinning him down on the floor. "I've been waiting…" her eyes gleamed in cold fury as she hissed at him. She drew out a knife, raised it over his chest, and behind her emerged a magnificent figure: the Orichalcos God.

Both the girl and the serpent struck together.

"_Let her sleep a little longer…"_

He didn't know which was louder: his scream when he was simultaneously stabbed and eaten—or his scream when he woke up.

Yuugi groaned before getting up, and leaning over the pharaoh. "Hey…what's wrong?"

Atemu panted as he felt the sweat run cold down his back. "Just—a dream," he gasped.

"More of a nightmare," said Yuugi. "Need anything?"

"I don't want to trouble you any more than this, Yuugi."

"At least let me do something since I'm up."

_Selfless little Yuugi_, the pharaoh thought. "I guess…I'm a bit thirsty."

"Water then." The boy got off the bed and laid his hand on the doorknob. "I'll be right back."

Atemu listened to Yuugi's footsteps as he went down the stairs. Smiling to himself, he stood up to turn the light on.

A figure caught his eye, and he hastily opened the window. There was nothing.

He heaved a sigh of relief, and turned around—"Yuugi!"

"What?" Yuugi tossed his head to the side, and held out a glass of water. "You look kinda pale."

"Of course I would be!" Atemu growled. "You came up on me without warning! And you're wearing _white_!"

The boy looked down at his clothes. "Oh, sorry. You thought I was…" he trailed off, and stared at Atemu wide-eyed. "…You're scared of _ghosts_?"

"So are you!"

"I dunno. I haven't seen a ghost before. And I thought Chris and Ironheart were ghosts when you met them."

"They didn't _seem_ to be." When he paused to think over the names, the nightmare had come back to him. He took Yuugi's glass, placed a hand over his forehead, and drank. "Arigatou, Hikari," he panted after.

"Why's the window open?" Yuugi asked, and reached out to bring the panes in. "You saw anything?"

"I thought I did…it must've been my imagination."

"It's about time you let it calm though…let's go back to sleep." Yuugi crawled onto the bed, and Atemu sat down on his futon. "Good night, Yami…"

He hadn't gotten a response. Atemu had fallen asleep as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Three days have passed, and Atemu rapped his fingers on the counter, reading a game manual. Sugoroku had closed the shop early for the celebration later, and the pharaoh was left with Mrs. Mutou: he to watch the shop, and she to watch the house.

_Boring_ was the only thought that crossed Atemu's mind. But he knew it would be even more boring if he waited his friends to finish their finals at school.

The nightmare from before had flashed through his head again. He groaned a bit, and bent forward on the surface. He couldn't remember the girl's face anymore, but the sparks in her eyes still remained.

She was erased as soon as Yuugi emerged through the door. "It's summer, Yami!"

Atemu scoffed an "Of course it is," before going to embrace his aibou. "It's been summer since last week. The TV said so."

"You passed the exams!" Mrs. Mutou rushed in to take her son into her arms. "If your father were here…"

"He would've been real proud," said Sugoroku, who had entered the house after Yuugi. "Seems like nobody's taking remedial classes for the term."

"We're going to Okinawa!" Yuugi threw aside his bag before speeding up the stairs.

Mrs. Mutou sighed. "His last summer before going to college…"

"Let the boy enjoy himself before it comes," Sugoroku said. "I mean, there's still two terms left, and after that…Bakura's going to Tokyo U—"

"He'll be transferring?" cut Atemu. "He won't be in Domino U?"

The old man shook his head. "And Anzu's earned enough for New York. Tata will be going with her after graduation."

"You mean…we'll get separated after they finish school?"

Mrs. Mutou nodded sadly. "Afraid so."

"Atemu!" Yuugi's voice came from the second floor, probably from the window. "C'mon, we gotta pack!"

"Yuugi, Okinawa's still two days away!" the pharaoh called back, climbing up the stairs. "And you still have homework to finish before we go!"

"Why do you have to ruin all the fun? You know I hate homework!"

"You know you have to do your homework!"

"You're not my dad!"

"I'm your Yami!"

Sugoroku and Mrs. Mutou exchanged looks, and shook their heads.

**

* * *

**

**A/N: **…Oh, yeah, I forgot the disclaimer. I own no portion of _Yu-Gi-Oh!_ except the plot and my OCs (in the past and current situations, Kisobi, Zue and Tata). Yeah, if you don't get it, the Orichalcos God is the original name for the _Great Leviathan_…I always like sticking to the originals, so don't sue me for it!

So that Atemu doesn't look so perfect either…I'll make him afraid of ghosts as like most of us…Yes, I've also confirmed that there is a Domino University Volumes 2-3 of the manga. It was clearly labeled on the building _vertically_: DOMINO UNIVERSITY!

_**ANTICIPATE!**_ Now the gang gets to celebrate the summer like me…in Okinawa! Yipee! XD


	4. Colorless Rainbow

It had finally come, the day they had all been waiting for.

The plane trip to Okinawa.

Although there was an unpleasant thing that'd occurred. To Jounouchi, at least—

"What? Why does Kaiba have to go with us?" complained Jounouchi.

"It wasn't my idea, pup," snapped Seto Kaiba. "It was Mokuba who talked me into riding with _you_."

"Niisama," Mokuba whined. "We're gonna see Kyoushi! Aren't you happy at all?"

"You made me cancel all my plans for the whole summer!"

"You got your laptop! And who knows? Maybe Kyoushi can help!"

"If you ask me, Kaiba just went around that question," Anzu whispered to Honda, and they snickered to each other.

"Well, the more, the merrier," said Yuugi. "I'm looking forward to it already!" A voice from the PA announced their flight. The boy took Atemu's hand. "That's it! We're going onboard!"

"Okinawa, here we come!" cheered Bakura. The pharaoh snuck a glance at him, thinking how sad it would be if he had left everyone behind…

**Chapter Four: Colorless Rainbow**

Atemu had never been in an airplane before—with his own body, that is. It was always Yuugi who maintained the peace during the airplane rides. Yuugi was beside him, eating a hamburger. _His favorite._ "Aibou…" he started.

"Yeah?" Yuugi asked with his mouth full. Hearing how his sound came out, he swallowed down his food. "Yeah?" he asked again.

The _Yuugi-ou_ shook his head. "Nothing important. I just remembered something Anzu said…would it be okay if I watched the _Nightmare before Christmas_?"

Yuugi, who'd just taken another bite off his burger, almost choked. He beat his chest, and swallowed. "Wh-what?"

"I knew it was a silly question to ask," said Atemu, feeling rejected, and rather sheepish.

"N-no, it's not!" protested the hikari. "I was just surprised, that's all…Sure you could watch it! It's a really cool movie!"

Atemu smiled in gratitude, and looked out the window. He saw just the sky, and water that stretched underneath them. He watched jet appear behind a cloud, and it was zooming in the same direction the plane was going. _They're heading for Okinawa, too?_

He remembered the nightmare again. He'd never had any other dream like it. When did Dartz enter his subconscious? Why was the Orichalcos God in his dream? Didn't he destroy it already? And just who was the girl? He hadn't met her before, but she knew him well enough to kill him.

_Let her sleep a little longer…_

That was the only thing he remembered being spoken. Atemu was sure—it was Dartz's voice that had said it. What did he mean…?

_If I haven't shouted so suddenly…_he thought to himself, again, feeling sheepish for himself.

Meanwhile, Yuugi had continued eating his hamburger, when Jounouchi had stretched out his hand and poke the boy's shoulder. "Oi," he spoke, "what's with him?" Yuugi stared at him, and the blond pointed to Atemu. Yuugi tossed his head, and saw him dead silent, as if in deep thought.

Yuugi nodded to Jounouchi, and patted Atemu's shoulder. "Hey…you feel sick?" He didn't get an answer. "Yami…Atemu, I'm talking to you!"

"Hmm?" He gave his hikari with a blank look, as if Yuugi had disturbed his reading. "…Nothing."

"You're hopeless!" Yuugi cried.

That snapped him out completely. "What did I do?" Atemu protested.

"You weren't paying attention at all, weren't you? Naha Airport's dead ahead; we're almost there!"

"N…nani?" the pharaoh looked out the window, and saw green not far off. He was about to gasp in awe, but just as he opened his mouth, he felt something charging up his body, so he closed it shut and covered it. His head began to spin, and something bad was stirring in his stomach—

"I should've known," said Jounouchi, and tossed a paper bag to Yuugi, who placed it over Atemu's mouth just in time to catch his spew. When he finished, Anzu went over, drew a handkerchief, and wiped his mouth.

"I don't feel so good," the pharaoh groaned. "What did I just do?"

"Man, it's your first time puking?" asked Honda, who stood up from his seat behind them. "You chucked your breakfast out!"

"Puking?" Atemu repeated the term.

"_Vomiting_," said Bakura. "It's okay, though; nothing's wrong with you. It's just easy to vomit when riding on something, that's all."

"Will it happen again?" the pharaoh asked.

"Hopefully, not too soon," said Mokuba, who had ran from his seat at the back to see what had happened. "Two weeks ago, I saw a girl throw up her lunch on the blouse of another girl in front of her…"

* * *

Otogi stretched his arms as everybody left the airport. "Ah…Okinawa at last!"

"Better enjoy it soon, though," warned Shizuka. "Summer's typhoon season, remember?"

"It's not raining!" argued Jounouchi. "And besides, it's fun in the rain, too. We've got a lot of forests here; lots of shade!"

Atemu took time to look around. _So this is Okinawa,_ he thought, and he looked back to the flight line.

The jet that he had seen flying past them was parked alongside the other planes. _So I was right._

"What're you looking at?" Shizuka asked him. The pharaoh silently pointed to the jet. "Who would've brought flied one of those here? C'mon, we're taking the bus to the villa!"

"Will I get sick again?"

"Not if you rest!"

Atemu shook his head, in fear that a little girl will stab his heart as soon as he closed his eyes. "I think I feel better. Thank you despite that, Shizuka."

She came over to him, smiling. "Hey, you've helped us a lot already. It's about time you took a break." Shizuka took his hand, and led him to the bus.

Just a few meters behind them, two people were snickering and exchanging high-fives before leading a noisy third towards a speedboat…

The bus was an almost quiet trip, if it weren't for Kaiba and Jounouchi bickering all through it. Thankfully, Atemu didn't as much feel strange throughout the journey. Upon seeing the villas, though, he felt like fainting.

When Shizuka had said 'villa', he thought it was a synonym for 'hotel', seeing it as a tall building with a two-share-one-room policy. What stood outside was a manor for all ten of them to share.

"I saved on bank notes for _this_?" asked Kaiba. "Mokuba, let's check in somewhere else."

_Make that eight,_ Atemu thought. "Aibou, by the time you come back, I'll make sure I've memorized that house."

"…Am I hearing an excuse to stay in the house?" asked Yuugi. "C'mon, nobody's gonna be keeping an eye on you!"

"Please don't start with the age issues again," pleaded Atemu, feeling slightly disappointed that he was a tad younger than Yuugi after reading his legalization documents.

"I will if you stop babying!" Yuugi finished, and held his hand out to help the yami up. "C'mon, we'll see the new house together!"

Atemu sighed, and gave in to his hikari's suggestions. When they all left the bus, it was Bakura who'd opened the door. The foyer was dark, and he flipped the light switch on.

From where the others were standing, they saw Bakura going in—being _pulled_ in. Yuugi ran up the stairs and entered the house.

"Welcome to Okinawa!" On a couch in front of him, two people sat on either arm, and on the seat was Bakura, with a party hat on his head, as if it had been hastily put.

"T…Tazue?" Yuugi stared at the twins again. The others who had come up also stared at them like completely dumb. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I told you I was gonna spend the summer with Kisobi," answered Tata.

"Yeah, but…she's in Sesoko, right?" asked Jounouchi.

"Wrong again," said Zue, and he turned to a door on the left. "Kisobi, hide and seek is over. You can come out now."

Silence for a while, before a voice rang across the house: "It's not over! You gave me away!"

"Kisobi!" Tata stood straight and headed for the door Zue was looking out. "C'mon, we've got friends for you to meet!"

"You get me!" Atemu heard her voice again. It was so…_childish_. _How_ _old is Kisobi? _he thought.

"Kisobi, I got mangoes!" called Zue, and turned to the gang. "She's so stubborn. She only comes out if I call 'mangoes'."

"Nice try; I have mangoes already!"

Honda and Otogi hooted with laughter at this. "She thought ahead of you!"

Tata replied with a cruel smirk. "…Not quite. I thought up plan B two months ago." Then she took a mango and looked behind the couch. "Ricky." she spoke, holding out the fruit.

"…Ricky?" Anzu repeated, and a dog emerged from behind. Upon revealing its full form, it was well-known that he was limping badly; one of its hind legs had been fully bandaged.

"Jounouchi!" cried Yuugi. "That's the dog from yesterday!"

When he looked at Jounouchi, the blonde just stared at the pitiful creature, wide-eyed. "…Ricky?" He slowly approached the dog, and ran his hand across the back. There was the ridge of fur he had felt from the injured dog the past day. There was a moment of silence before he let him go. "Um…Tazue?"

"Yeah?" The twins ask in unison.

"Is Kisobi's last name…Ragasshiru, by chance?"

"Ragasshiru?" spoke Shizuka. "You mean…"

"…How'd you know?" asked Zue.

"We were neighbors until they said they was gonna move. That was at least ten years ago," said Jounouchi. "They got a ridgeback named Ricky, too. But how'd he end up in Domino?"

"I see. So you're the one who'd seen him before he got to a hospital. We brought the old boy to Domino for a vacation. Now, we're taking him back—Kisobi, get out here!"

There was silence again before Ricky came back, struggling between his limp as well as pulling against a girl's dress with his jaws. Kisobi herself followed, eating a mango.

"Come 'ere, kiddo," Tata took the girl's arm and led her to sit on Bakura's lap. "This is Kisobi, y'all. Go on, say hello."

The gang took time to stare at the girl. Her hair was as pale as her skin, and her eyes had no pupils or glares. "…Hello," she had spoken in a shy tone.

It was Anzu who had approached her first, and took her hands. "I'm Anzu Mazaki," she spoke gently. "It's really nice to meet you, Kisobi."

"How many are you here?" she asked. "And I don't think I'm sitting on a chair…"

"No, you're sitting on one of our friends," said Anzu, "his name is Bakura."

"Oh…" she licked one her sticky, mango-juiced fingers, and held it out. "…There are lots of you in front of me."

"How'd you know?" asked Anzu.

"I don't feel any wind coming from your direction," she answered simply. "Who else is here?"

Yuugi began the introductions. "I'm Yuugi Mutou! I'm here with my…brother, Atemu."

"Brothers?" Kisobi tossed her head to the side, and squeezed the fruit in her hands. More juice oozed from it, trickled down her plams.

"And I'm Jounouchi," said the blond. "I dunno if you remembered me, but I was your neighbor before you moved here. You were still a baby then."

"Oh, the one who plays with Ricky all the time?" Kisobi asked with excitement. "Kyoushi tells me stories about you!"

Jounouchi blushed a bit at her remark. "I protected her from the bad people, too!"

"Don't overexaggerate, Jounouchi," Bakura chuckled.

"Right. Anyway, I'm here with my sister Shizuka, and my best bud, Honda!" Jounouchi hooked his arms around both of them as he spoke.

"So, there's Anzu, Bakura, Yuugi, Atemu, Jounouchi, Shizuka, Honda…" Kisobi counted everyone off with her fingers.

"Have you heard of Dungeon Dice Monsters, kid?" asked Otogi.

"There's another one?" Kisobi gasped. "Dungeon Dice Monsters…a lot of kids at school are playing it…"

"Well…you're listening to its creator. Ryuuji Otogi, at the little lady's service."

Yeah, that was probably what best described Kisobi: a _little lady_. She was the twins' age and height, but had a kid's brains. Everybody had easily agreed on that after settling down.

"Does that mean I get free dice?" she asked, and Otogi laughed, saying yes.

"Don't make it sound like a wedding," Zue smriked. "It's almost her naptime. We have to go back to Sesoko. Say goodbye, Kisobi."

"Do we take the speedboat?" she asked, and again, yes was answered, and she jumped in the air. "Can I go waterskiing?"

"After your nap," answered Tata. "When the sun's down, and the coast is windy. And when your eyes have bright reds and oranges and yellows blaring all over them."

"But i can keep away with a swim!"

"I thought you wanted to waterski," joked Zue, and Kisobi pouted. Cutely. "Besides, salt water will irritate your eyes. Ricky, come on."

The ridgeback barked, and followed the three. Tata turned to leave one last statement:

"You owe us a visit!"

* * *

"So she planned the visit to put a debt on us?" Honda asked Bakura, and the latter nodded. "Oh, man! Now we have to go all the way to Sesoko?"

"That's how the twins think," said Bakura. "They've tricked a lot of people before us."

"So?" cut in Jounouchi. "Kid's kinda lucky to have an island to her family, right?"

"Do they own a big territory?" Atemu asked.

Otogi laughed. "Sesoko's just a _tiny_ island near the rest of Okinawa. It's just like living on an little beach island. It's not what Americans would call Hawaii, but it's got sand and salt-water. Did you think it was as big as Egypt or something?"

Everyone laughed at this, and the pharaoh looked at Jounouchi, who'd reassured him with a nod: _Learn to laugh at yourself. You're not a Pharaoh anymore._

Atemu smiled, and stood up, looking for Yuugi. He found him sitting on another couch with Anzu. The _Yuugi-ou_ sighed. It was Yuugi who liked her so much, but it was his own self that she was always dating. He cannot reciprocate Anzu's feelings (he forced himself into it once, but he couldn't meet the high expectations), but he was not ready to admit this, either.

"Yuugi," he called, and the hikari said goodbye to Anzu before coming over to him. "Can I go with you to the Air Bases?"

"That's better," said the boy. "So like last time, we'll meet up for dinner at seven!"

"Where?" asked Shizuka.

"I saw a restaurant three blocks here," said Otogi. "Let's all go there."

"Seven!" Jounouchi raised a fist in the air. "We're ready for Okinawa!"

"Yeah!" everyone cheered.

All except Atemu, who was spacing out again. Kisobi's figure etched itself into his mind. White hair, white skin, white eyes, and even a white sundress.

All _white_. Like a _ghost_.

He shuddered to himself. _Like the girl in my dream…_

**A/N:** Whoa, I made Atemu puke! That's so cool! And there, I finally introduced Kisobi!

By the way, the girl-vomits-on-girl story was real. When I was in Grade 5, a classmate behind me chucked hotdogs all over my lunchbox and shoulder. It took me ten minutes to wash it off, and my uniform was soaking wet after!

…I feel like adding another crush on my list…Syrus Darkhunter from Puzzle Quest! He is so hawt XD

My special thanks to…the Atlas! If it weren't for the Atlas, I would never have placed Kisobi's house in Sesoko…

* * *


	5. In Some Situations

**A/N:** Rolling, rolling, rolling…in heaps and blankets of snow. But still climbing the _SSX on Tour_ Charts, mind ye. _Hearts in Atlantis_ made me cry…and I'm still up at 11:40 in the evening writing this next chapter! Thank you, _Hearts in Atlantis!_

**Chapter Five: In Some Situations  
****(Curiosity Leads to Stupidity)**

That night after dinner, Atemu sat on his bed, dead tired. However, he had enjoyed himself: he saw airplanes and ruins, and real Americans with their kids and tour guides. There were even traces of blood on the walls (Yuugi almost fainted at the sight, but he'd caught his hikari in time). The dinner was one of the most delightful he'd had, with everybody telling stories and stories and more stories of where they had went that day.

He may have heard many accounts in one day, but still had his own story to unfold: his new life as a human being. It was still beginning.

A knock came upon his door. "Atemu?" Yuugi's voice came. "Will you let me in for a second?"

"Aibou?" The man stood up and reached for the doorknob. "I was about to sleep—"

It was not a second when a girl had swung a large blade across his abdomen, cutting the pharaoh in half. In his dying moments, he struggled to see her face…

But Orichalcos God's mouth had engulfed him into darkness.

"Whoa!" Atemu rose abruptly from his bed, panting. Beside him was Yuugi, asleep on his own bed._ Another dream about her…_them_…when was the last one…?_

He looked at his aibou, sound asleep in his dreams. Not bothering to trouble him, he decided to get the water on his own. When his feet touched the ground, a shiver ran up his spine: the floor was so cold. He quickly put on his slippers, and quietly left the room.

In front of him was a railing that prevented anyone from falling down to the first floor. He held onto this railing, and strolled across the corridor. He listened to his own feet dragging across the tiles, the irritating sound keeping him awake. As the railing turned, so did he and it led him downstairs and onto the first floor.

He entered the kitchen, and turned on the light, half expecting the girl in his dreams to pounce on him. There was none. Sighing with relief, he walked across the floor and got himself that glass of water.

As he drank, he reassured himself that the girl and the serpent were only dreams, and there might be a 5-day span before they come again. Otherwise, _then_ it'll be a problem. He thought of instead the new girl he had met; with a young voice and a juicy mango in her hands…she was, admittedly, strange.

He set down the glass, and turned to left the room, when he heard a rumbling above him. It wasn't crashing like thunder, nor was it high-pitched as an airplane. It _did_ sound like something flying, though…only bigger.

Having no energy or interest to find out, he did leave the room, and went upstairs, entering his room. His aibou was still sleeping, undisturbed. He had to smile at the sight. He walked over to his bed, and tucked himself in, intending to sleep in peace.

As he was about to fall asleep, Yuugi's voice pierced the silence. "Bad dream?"

Atemu almost jumped in surprise. "Y-you're awake?"

"I heard something real loud, but I don't think it's thunder. Did you check it out?"

"…No," the yami admitted. "I didn't want to disturb your sleep again with something as simple as a glass of water."

"So, there's a girl who's out there who's trying to kill you," Yuugi said, removing his blanket. "Do you think she works on her own, or was she hired by someone else?"

"I'm very sure it's a personal motive," he replied, "but I can't help feeling it involves Dartz. I saw him myself in my first dream, and the Orichalcos God appeared in both."

"You never said those to me before."

"I didn't want to worry you on your vacation."

"And _you_ say I'm selfless," Yuugi spoke his mind. "C'mon, you gotta be happy on our vacation. We're doing all we can to cheer you up, you know."

"It's rather selfish than selfless, isn't it? Locking myself inside…I want to be open, like you, Yuugi. You were always so kind, and, and so good to me. I had wanted to repay you, but…"

The hikari got off his bed and sat beside the ex-pharaoh. "But?"

"But…what would you want from me? You're happy with who you are, and content with what you have. What could I give to you that are worth those that you had given to me?"

The boy smiled at his brother-by-law. "…Two promises: if the nightmare returns, you'll tell me what happened. Second, you'll be _happy_ all throughout the summer. You're not gonna keep any secrets from us if you know you shouldn't. And if you have to, shout and cry. We're gonna look out for each other."

A smile curled upon Atemu's face. "Arigatou, Hikari." Then he let the boy tuck him, as an elder brother would do his younger. "Good night."

Yuugi climbed onto his own bed and slid under the covers. "Night."

* * *

At the break of dawn, Kisobi opened her eyes. Heck, there was no difference to what she sees whether her eyes were open or closed: to her, everything was just black, with the occasional flashes of lights that came from the camera or the sun.

A scent had been disturbing her nose for the past night, and she carefully sat up, and felt for the window. She opened the panes, and inhaled.

"I smell rain…" She pouted, and got off the bed, and going out the door. "Mama? Daddy?" she called, "Kyoushi?"

"Get down here, sweetie," her mama called back. "Pancakes for breakfast!"

Kisobi carefully stepped down the stairs, holding tightly on the balustrade. "No mangoes?"

"Not today, kiddo," came her father's voice. "We've got our first summer typhoon coming."

"Aww!" When Kisobi reached the first floor, she sniffed her way to the dining table, and felt for her chair. The rains meant that she was forbidden to leave the island without company, but that didn't bring her down. With Kyoushi's help, she can always listen to music, and fall asleep again.

Though she wasn't so bored with her routine at home, she still wanted Tata and Zue to take her somewhere. They never had other visitors in Sesoko, except people who wanted to interview or experiment on the girl. Of, course, they were turned down, but if they insisted, Kisobi would annoy them for amusement.

She ate her pancakes, making sure they were drenched well in chocolate syrup. She moaned in delight, savoring the chocolate. As any kid, she'd loved the substance anytime, but mangoes were still her favorite.

"Are Tata and Zue coming today?" she asked.

"Of course," she heard her sister answer. "They want you to swim with them in the rain."

"Yay!" The girl raised her arms. "Hear that, Ricky? We'll play in the rain!"

A bark and a lick to her face answered her. "Good boy, Ricky! Good boy!"

"Richard!" Kyoushi told him off. "Down! The _Empyrean_'s coming today."

"The _Empyrean_? _Yipee!!_" Kisobi jumped of her chair. "I can ride on the _Empyrean_!"

"Yukiasobi, _down_!" Kyoushi commanded. The doorbell rang. "Thank goodness, it's the twins," she breathed. "Stay here. I'll get it."

Kyoushi stood up, and answered the door. Before her stood the twins in swimwear, despite the storm coming, and in front of them was a woman cloaked in fur. Behind them, on the ocean, was a ramp leading to a glorious airship. She faced the woman again. "…Your Grace," she started.

"You know why I'm here," the woman said. "We'll get the others then leave as soon as the storm lets up. Where is she?"

"I told her you were coming. One second." She turned back to the house. "Kisobi, the twins and the Madame are here!"

"Yay! I can ride on the airship!" Kisobi ran past the table, and tripped over a couch leg. "Aiee!" She fell on the floor face first, with a thud. "Ow…"

Tata burst out laughing, and the Madame blinked, while Zue entered the house and helped the blind girl to her feet. "Hey, not yet, kiddo. We promised to play in the rain, did we?"

"Oh, that's right." Kisobi put a hand behind her head and laughed.

"And there's some people I want you to meet later," the boy whispered to her, and led her outside.

* * *

When Atemu woke up that morning, he heard water spattering against the window. Remembering what Shizuka had said yesterday, he sat up, and watched the downpour.

_Summer in Okinawa is typhoon season._

He was alone in that room, and the bed next to him was already made. The clock said nine, but he didn't think there was much to do on that day, anyway.

Not bothering to change his clothes, he left the room and leaned down. There was nobody near the stairs, and nobody streaking across the foyer. _Nobody would want to run naked in public,_ he thought, chuckling, and laid his hand on the railing, like the past night.

_Nothing to do today, hmm?_ He looked towards the corridor, thinking of how to start his day. When his thoughts came to Kisobi, a light bulb lit up. He straightened, closed his eyes, and kept his arm on the rail.

He took small, careful steps, with his hand leading him along the hall. He was about near the edge when he hadn't bumped into a column. He used both hands to massage his forehead, groaning in pain.

"What're you doing?" a voice asked, and his eyes snapped open. At the base of the stairs was Shizuka, looking at him with a puzzled air.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just hit my head, that's all."

The girl giggled. "You can win against rigged games, but you _hit your head_?"

"It was an accident!" Atemu shrugged with open arms. "I'm not immune to them!"

"You said," Shizuka muttered to herself. "Everyone else is out back. There's something _big_ floating on the water!"

"Big?" the man repeated, and rushed down the stairs to follow Shizuka. She led him around the steps, and out back, where the gardens where supposed to be. The rain stained and soaked his clothes, and there was another set of stairs; awaiting him at the top was Yuugi.

"Atemu!" Yuugi reached out his hand. "You gotta see this! You gotta see this!"

"See what in this rain?"

"Just come up here and see!" Yuugi called, and watched him climb the steps as thunder rumbled above them. "Whatever it is, it _flies_. I think that was making the noise last night."

Atemu looked past him and saw what he was pointing to: a metal airship, like the ones in RPGs. He glanced at Bakura, who was staring at it with awe. _I know what he's thinking right now,_ he told himself.

"Wow," was all he can manage to say. "Who _made_ that?"

"I don't think it came from here," answered Yuugi. "It's so _far_…I wanna see it up close."

"Same here. I haven't seen anything so…" he stopped. There was no word for him. For a moment, he'd forgotten about the storm.

Everybody heard a faint rumbling coming from the airship, and ripples were starting to form on the water.

"It's taking off!" Anzu pointed, and she was right—the ship slowly rose, and drifted across the sky. "It's coming here!"

"It'll fly above us!" Honda cried. "Everyone, stay here!"

They all watched as the airship neared them, closer and closer it came, maybe…_too_ close.

"Katsuya…" Shizuka grabbed her brother's arm. "Does it…does it want us to board?"

"I dunno, sis," he answered. "Just hope the pilots are nice people who wouldn't want to kill us."

The airship overshadowed them all, and its underside opened, letting a rope ladder fall and dangle less than a foot from the ground. With a questioning stare, they all looked up, and saw Tata's head peeking out. "Oi! You wanna ride or what?"

"Tata's a pilot?!" they all exclaimed. Her red, short-cropped hair swept wildly in all directions amidst the winds of the storm.

"Leave the villa?" asked Otogi.

"We've gotten it taken care of! Just get in before the storm rips the ladder away!"

"Okay!" called Yuugi. "Anzu, you go first, then Bakura, then Atemu and me… " he watched as Anzu took hold of the ladder and started to climb. Damn, she was still so sexy to Yuugi.

"…Yuugi?" Jounouchi tapped his shoulder. "Don't you space out on us. Bakura, you go next. Up ya go." He pushed up Bakura's butt and he was soon following Anzu. "Atemu, your turn."

Atemu hesitantly nodded, and Jounouchi can see the agitation in his face. The blond smirked, and grasped his shoulder. "Nothing to it. Yuugi's gonna be right behind you. Just grip tight on the rungs and you'll be fine."

The ex-pharaoh nodded, grabbed the rung as said, and began to climb. It wasn't very hard because the ship was shielding the rain from them, but the nervousness he felt was about to make his hands sweat around the crosspieces.

But he kept on climbing, and the rain calmed him a bit, and that somebody was taking Anzu's and Bakura's hands as they come aboard.

_Almost there…_he thought, when his hand trembled for a bit, and a foot slipped off the ladder. For a moment, he watched the airship come away, as if it was rising, then the faint cries of Yuugi and Jounouchi…

He was pulled out of his dream when he felt a hand upon his. He saw Tata hanging from the ladder only by a hand and leg. He barely heard what she'd said when he'd noticed a girl in the airship gazing into his eyes…

"_She isn't ready yet…"_

Atemu slowly released himself from Tata's grip, and was sent falling back into the house. "Dartz," he started.

"_Bring her back to me, pharaoh…"_

"Bring who…?" he watched as the girl above pointed at him, and a creature appeared alongside her.

"_Bring her back to Atlantis…to me…"_

"Bring _who_?" Atemu asked again. Then his eyes began to close. "Dartz…bring…who…?"

He hadn't heard the king's answer, for the Orichalcos God had lunged for him, the wrathful girl on it, and he was swallowed full. Luckily, he felt no pain, nor heard the cries of Yuugi.

* * *

Atemu sat up as soon as he was able to see. He blinked, and inhaled the scent of tobacco. "Where am I?"

A voice amidst the fog of smoke answered him. "You're aboard the _Empyrean_, inside my cabin. _Apparemment_–apparently–we're not in the sky." Atemu tried to get up, but the voice startled him again. "Don't fidget; if you haven't remembered, you almost fell yo your death."

"Can I at least see your face?" he asked the blurry clouds, but judging from the voice, it was a female.

He was promptly answered, and a hand came and waved across the smoke, sweeping it away. Soon, Atemu was face to face-to-face with a woman sitting on a chair trimmed with blue topaz. The hand she used was now drumming on the chair's arm, and the other was gripping a long, narrow pipe. Both hands wore mitts with uncovered fingers, and she was clad in maroon fur, as if drenched in blood.

Atemu hesitated to speak, recalling that he no longer had the dignity of a pharaoh against a noblewoman, or a princess. He took a deep breath, and spoke.

"What do you mean?" he'd asked. "I remember climbing up the ladder, but…a fall?"

The woman slowly stood up, revealing her full height: she was exceptionally tall, and reached for Atemu's forehead, and he felt a sharp pain. "_Oui_, and you hit your head a trifle," she said, and her fingers moved to see the pharaoh's head in different angles. "Though in other respects, you're fine, and you're safe. You have a name, _monsieur_?"

"Atemu…Mutou." She nodded once, as if confirming something. "And yours?"

"Is of no importance," she answered promptly. "We take off when the rains lift by a tad." The woman drew a breath with half-lidded, though noble eyes, and opened a metallic door. "Have a look around."

The pharaoh set his shoes onto the cold metal, and stood up. "Where are we going?"

"…You will see." A smirk came upon her face, and as he left, she shut the door again to smoke on her own. It was not long before he heard her voice again. "Stairs on the left behind the desk leads you to the cockpit."

Not even bothering to ask what a cockpit is (though he hoped it wasn't at all related to its vulgar term; how he _knew_ of the vulgar term would be a different story), he went around the said desk, which was right in front of him. The stairs weren't hard to find, though he could not decide whether to take the flight up or down.

"Problem?" a voice pierced through the still air. Atemu jumped, and turned around, and saw a girl sitting beneath the desk counter. Pale everything said it was Kisobi. Her eyes were fixed before her, though there was nothing of worthy notice.

"Do you know where the cockpit is?" he asked.

"I heard you're the _Yuugi-ou_," she said, regardless of his question. "I also heard you hit your head twice today." She beamed, though showed no signs of laughing. "I'll help you out, but I won't give you the answer."

Atemu smirked. _A game._ "All right, I'll play."

"We're on an airship, right?" Kisobi began. "Why would you think it was called that?"

"Well…because it's _big_?" Atemu said.

The girl nodded. "And…?"

Atemu closed his eyes, and thought for a moment. Then he remembered that the woman mentioned "cabin". If that was so…"Because it resembles a sea ship?"

"Right!" Kisobi nodded. "Airships and sea ships have some similar parts and set-up. You came out of a cabin, and the _Empyrean_'s got a deck, and it's also got an engine room and cargo hold!"

"What about the cockpit?"

"It's the control room. In the car, it's called a driver's seat! In a sea ship, it's called a wheelhouse—"

"And in an airship, it's called a cockpit," Atemu finished. _So, I have to think of the cabin rooms in a sea ship and in an airship…_ a picture formed into his mind. _Then, I need to know where the wheelhouse is placed, and comparing it with the _Empyrean_—_

"I know the answer," he muttered, loud enough for Kisobi to hear. "It's the flight up, isn't it?"

Kisobi's beam turned to a grin, and she nodded. "Right!"

"Do you need to come with me?" he asked, smirking.

"I'll wait for _her_ to come out," she answered, and stood up, forgetting she was under a desk, and hit her head on the wood. "Oweee…"

Atemu approached her and rubbed her head, now understanding why she hadn't laughed when he did the same thing. "You okay?"

"I do it all the time," she answered, laughing cheerily. The man hadn't heard anything like it at all. It felt…fair. But also pitying.

He stood up, and strolled back to the stairs. "Thanks for the hints," he told her, and climbed.

As promised, the cockpit was on the next floor, and there were less people than expected. But at least the person he _was_ expecting to see was in sight. "Yuugi!" he called.

"Yami!" the boy cheered. "Everybody, Atemu's awake!" He stood up, and pulled the man into the cockpit, and embraced him. "You almost fell to your death! You could've died!"

"I'm fine, aren't I?" he reassured. "My head hurts a bit, but I'm fine. Kisobi led me here."

"But why the stairs?" Yuugi asked. "You can always take the elevator, you know."

"Elevator?" Atemu repeated, and as if on cue, a little ding sounded across the cockpit, and double doors opened. Inside was the woman wearing a silken shawl instead of a fur cloak, her pipe in one hand, and a fan in another, concealing a smirk behind it. Tugging on her skirts was Kisobi, sniggering.

Entering from the hatch were Tata and Zue, asking Kisobi simultaneously, "Did it work?"

"It worked!" Kisobi answered between gasps and howls. "He didn't see the elevator at all!"

"What's going on here?" asked Jounouchi. Then at one glance at Atemu, he nodded, as if understanding. "Wow, he actually fell for it." He patted Atemu's back and whispered to his ear, "There was an elevator on the wall right beside the lady's cabin, where you was resting. Kisobi must've taken your attention, eh?"

"I didn't know my way around, so I played it safe," Atemu replied. Half truth, half lie; he was playing safe, but he had noticed the elevator as soon as he left the room.

"See, the guy was just bein' cautious!" said Jounouchi. "C'mon, we're parked in the sea! You have to get out!"

"In the rain?" asked Atemu. "During a _storm_?"

"What, it's fun!" said Kisobi, as Tata helped removing her sundress, revealing a one-piece swimsuit. "Last one in the water has to check the ship tonight!" She ran out, also with Tata's help, and everybody else inside raced outside, with the woman deliberately leaving herself last.

Atemu took off his pants, put on swimming trunks, unbuttoned his jacket, and took out the shirt underneath before running back inside the ship. The strange woman had sat down, adding more tobacco into her pipe. "If we could not know your name," he started, "then what shall we call you?"

She puffed on her pipe before answering. "Know me only as _La Madame_. I speak only little French, but I come from and am well-recognized in other regions."

"Wherever you come from…is it where this airship was made?"

"_Incorrect_," she answered in a heavy French accent. "My origin and this airship's origin are very different. My husband created this ship, and my family has voyaged on it…though we were only passengers then. Like you now."

Atemu nodded. "We leave after the storm. Understood, ma'am."

"_Tres bien_," she said, and watched him run into the storm. "Very well."

* * *

**A/N:** _La Madame_'s French is just as little as mine! But I'm learning! Hope you like it, Wow, eight pages, but Fanfiction makes it look real short…

**_ANTICIPATE!_** A ride on the _Empyrean_…and surprise guests.


	6. The Other Task

**A/N:** I came fresh from a beach vacation! Hoorah!

**Chapter Six: The Other Task**

Jounouchi was right. When Atemu had run out the hatch, a sea had awaited him, and a raging storm. Everybody was swimming, enjoying the water; despite the rain.

He watched Yuugi come out and reach his hand to him. "Atemu!" he called. "Come on!"

He hesitated, and bit his lip. "Aibou…I don't know how to swim," he admitted.

"So? You can still wade in it! You don't have to swim! We haven't gone that far!" Yuugi took the pharaoh's hand and pulled him into the water and rain. Atemu suddenly felt cold all over, and shivered, pulling his jacket over his exposed chest.

The two brothers stepped deeper into the water, until only their necks were above the surface. "Careful you don't drink too much," warned the boy, "the water's really salty, but it's not so bad." He let himself lie down, and his body was leveled with the water. "It's easier to float in sea water, anyway." He smiled at the older boy.

Somewhere amidst the storm, a child's voice can be heard. Atemu turned to see Kisobi on Zue's back, her legs round his waist. Zue then sunk the both of them underwater, and when they rose, Kisobi was laughing and squealing with glee. "What are they doing?" Atemu asked.

"Yuugi rose again, and looked. "Aww, piggyback! Zue, I wanna try too!" He swam to Zue, who led him into a chase.

"Piggyback?" the man repeated, but he was cut by thunder…and a violin.

It's was Anzu's turn to squeal. "I know that tune!" She swam back to the ship, and ran inside, followed by Tata, Zue, and Kisobi. Yuugi was left to play with Jounouchi and Honda.

Atemu shrugged at the tune, and waded on, until he found out it was not a piece; it was a song.

_Kizukanai furi wo shite  
__Chiisana mado kara tooku wo mitsumeteta  
__Sora ni hirogaru tenshi no koe  
__Kaze ni dakarete_

"No wonder they're all getting worked up," cut in Otogi. "That's a song from a few months ago—pretty new—and all the girls know it."

"Then…why did Zue join them?"

"The Ugomi twins love music, and here comes the chorus." As Otogi spoke, they heard voices inside the _Empyrean_, singing:

_Mawaru, mawaru... okizari ni sareta jikan no naka de watashi wa ima  
__Les miserables  
__Ai shisugita anata ga kabegiwa no mukou de  
__Sotto waratteru_

"_Todokanai_," sang Zue, "_kono omoi dake…toiki ni nosete._" Then an interlude came on, and Atemu heard the girls cheering Zue's name, Kisobi's voice being the loudest.

He clapped. "He _is_ good," he remarked with a smirk. "They all were." Thunder crashed somewhere, and the rain poured in stronger.

"Atemu!" Shizuka called to him. He turned to see her waving an arm across the air. "Give me a piggyback!"

The man gaped at her, a visible blush on his face. "Wh-what?"

"It's easy!" the girl swam to him, went behind, and wrapped her arms around Atemu's neck, legs around his waist. "Just hold onto my legs and walk around," she told him. He did as she said, and started wading along the sea. He observed that she was unusually light, and said as much. "That's because we're underwater. You're light enough to float, especially in the sea."

"I understand," Atemu said, and listened as the chorus of the song came again. "Do you know that song, Shizuka?"

"Yes, but I'm not into music very much. Anzu let me hear it once before, and that was it."

"And Kisobi?"

"I heard she likes music a lot. I'm not surprised, because she's Tazue's cousin."

"Tazue?" he almost slipped over a rock, but regained his balance. He tasted the water for a moment, and coughed on its saltiness.

Shizuka giggled. "Don't you get it yet? When you address them together, you call them Tazue, as one person. It's legal, since it's their first name, anyway."

"You know very much, Shizuka," said Atemu. "I can learn a lot from you."

"You can't learn from me alone," she replied. "I mean, some people don't have to teach just so others could learn. Take Kisobi for example. She couldn't see anything. But she's happy, nonetheless, isn't she?"

"What does she teach, then?"

"To accept and be content with what you have."

He remembered Kisobi on Bakura's lap, eating mangoes the day before, and with Shizuka's statement, he realized that she doesn't seem so ghostly anymore. "Yes, she is happy, despite herself."

"A girl like her would be easy to love," said Shizuka, and got down from Atemu. "Thanks for the ride."

"My pleasure, Shizuka," he replied. "You'll be easy to love as well." He smiled, and returned to the deeper waters, leaving Shizuka to blush.

* * *

_La Madame_ entered one of the cabins, where her guests were resting. Closing the door, she sat on a couch, one leg over the other. "_Bonjour, __messieurs__._ Are you comfortable?" she asked them.

"Yes," was the quick answer from one. "When do we see the girl?"

The woman's eyes narrowed. "_Patience,_" she answered in French, "you'll see her soon enough." She paused to smoke. "And the 'pharaoh'? How is he involved?"

"He was chosen to personally bring the girl to our employer," another answered. "We are only here to explain the circumstances…or show."

"Whoever your employer is, I don't care. You will pay dearly if the _jeune fille_ is harmed," the woman warned.

"The _fille_ is no longer our responsibility, _madame_," said the one in the middle, assumingly the leader. "It is the pharaoh's and the knight's."

"_Chevalier?_" _La Madame_ repeated in French. A smirk appeared on her lips. "_Interessant._ Do you need anything else, _messieurs_?"

"Nothing else, thank you, ma'am," the leader answered. "Only that things go as planned."

"_Comprende._ Understood." _La Madame_ stood up, and left the room. Outside waited Zue, who'd redressed with Kisobi and his sister. "I heard your voice. _C'est magnifique._ You've improved."

"I can't wait to hear you sing again," Zue answered eagerly. "You and your sisters, and Tata…and Kisobi."

"Like old times." Though she was complemented, _La Madame_ only nodded. "They need time to perceive everything. We'll have to pick some things up on the way. Is that enough time?"

"Is that all the time you can give?" asked the boy.

The woman bent down and caressed Zue's face, as would a mother do her son. "I know it's not enough, but it's all Driam can offer right now."

"How can you be off duty, and Driam can't? This is his ship, after all!" He watched as _La Madame_ bit her lip. "…You didn't tell him, did you? That you took the _Empyrean_." She silently nodded. "There's more to this, isn't there?"

She nodded again, and smiled. "You can still see through lies. Driam refused to let me use it alone, but I couldn't wait." She looked out the window, and slipped the pipe into her lips. "The storm's almost over. Prepare for take-off, _Capitaine_ Zue."

"Aye-aye, ma'am!" Zue saluted the woman, and ran out.

La Madame held back a smile. If the _Empyrean_ could speak, she would have been pleased to know that her new pilots were now of top notch.

* * *

"Get in, everyone!" called Tata. "We're takin' off!"

Everyone swam back to the ship, and Tata hoisted everyone onto the hatch before sitting in front of the controls.

The boys gaped at her in disbelief. "You'll fly this ship?" they asked.

"Got a problem?" Zue asked behind them, and sat beside her. "We'll fill in as pilots until we get the captain. Who's a good shooter here?"

"That would be me," Honda stepped forward.

"We've got one seat left," said Tata. "You can take over, right?"

"I don't mind, as long as you teach me the drill."

"We're not idiots to let passengers tamper with the controls on _our_ airship!" Zue said. "Sorry, I meant no offense, Honda-san."

"None taken," Honda shrugged.

"'Kay! Everyone, turn off your cell phones and hold on to something!" Tata commanded, and the engine hummed as _La Madame_ strode across the cockpit to pull on the string attaching the hatch to the ship. Atemu and Yuugi watched in awe as she drew it in with strength.

"Here's your first joyride aboard the _Empyrean_!" she said, clinging on the bar above her. They felt the ship rising slowly, and when Atemu checked the window, he can see the ripples on the water.

It was the forward thrust that surprised the lot. It was fast—only _La Madame_ had stood firm as the others were all thrown back. However, that was all they needed to worry about. Once it was over, they were safe to move.

"You guys alright?" Honda called back. They answered in chorus, and nobody seemed hurt.

"We'll be landing at about noon," explained Zue, "and her Grace's got some other people you can meet."

"Other people?" Bakura restated. "Who?"

"Just follow the woman and see for yourself, man!" shouted Tata, and _La Madame_ ushered Yuugi and Atemu into the elevator.

"Who're we supposed to see?" Yuugi asked.

"You've met them before," was the woman's mere answer when they walked together along the corridor. "I'll be in my cabin when you need me, boys. _À plus tard._" She strode away.

"Well…" Yuugi placed his hand on the knob. "Here goes…" he opened the door.

"We meet again, Yuugi Mutou; Pharaoh," a voice welcomed them. A well-familiar voice. Sitting on the couch in front of them were the three swordsmen of Dartz. The speaker was Rafael, who looked like he barely changed.

Atemu sighed, almost unsurprised to see him. If he dreamed about Dartz, there was no doubting these three were involved. "I almost expected to see you," he told them, and Yuugi stared at his yami, confused.

"I'm sure you did," said Varon. "Dartz has been recurring in your dreams, hasn't he?"

"Atemu…" Yuugi spoke, and the man looked at him reassuringly, silently telling him that he'll explain later. The boy nodded hesitantly, and turned to Doma. "He's been having nightmares lately," he said. "Are they involved?"

Amelda nodded. "Dartz is seeking a girl aboard this ship, and he wants the pharaoh to personally deliver her to him. She goes by the name Yukiasobi Ragasshiru."

"Yukiasobi Raggas—" Atemu stopped in mid-protest, and recollected: YU**KI**A**SOBI**. "Kisobi?"

Amelda nodded again. "With each swordsman Dartz recruited, he gave them a mission to collect souls for the Orichalcos God—" Yuugi's and Atemu's brows furrowed, "—as well as keep watch over the girl. We were free from that contract as soon as the serpent was destroyed."

"Then why did you come here?" asked Atemu. "If Dartz was at peace, and you were free from his service, why does he still need Kisobi? What's her worth?"

"Much more than any of us will know," Rafael answered, throwing a blade before them. It was a large scythe attached to a long pole, with dry blood along the sharp edge. The pharaoh's eyes widened: it was the blade the girl had wielded, and Rafael smirked at this. "You've seen it before, haven't you?" he asked the pharaoh. "You've seen yourself die by that blade, in the hands of a girl."

"Die?" asked Yuugi. "You don't expect us to believe that Kisobi wants to kill Atemu, do you?"

Varon shook his head with a smile. "No, we don't—not immediately, at least."

"Impossible!" Atemu almost roared. "How can Kisobi—how can a _child_ like Kisobi even know how to kill?"

"The way I see it, nothing's impossible around _you_, pharaoh," said Rafael, with a visible smirk. "It was the Frenchwoman who'd hired us to find it. Our job here is to make sure that the blade was passed on to her without the girl even _seeing_ it—" he pointed to the scythe, "—and yours is to keep her happy throughout the journey."

The pharaoh raised an eyebrow. "Happy? _Happy?_ Isn't she happy enough, already?"

"Not for long," Amelda said. "She wouldn't be happy to find out we're not coming home soon; that the twins can't play around with her because they're manning a ship; or that she was someone she cannot understand, and we cannot say why."

"Why not?" asked Yuugi.

"We don't know all the answers yet," said Rafael. "Maybe we'll never know everything. Not even Dartz can fill in the missing blanks."

"So you'll depend on me for answers," said Atemu. "You'll send me to Dartz to answer his questions. And what about Kisobi?"

"She's your responsibility," Varon said, taking back the scythe. "Do to her what you wish. Now, go."

"Alright…" Yuugi opened the door, and let his yami come out first before himself. He sighed deeply. "Keep her happy…"

"I'm sorry I put you into this Yuugi," said Atemu.

The boy smiled. "Let's just forget about all this until we land." He took his yami's hand and ran back to the elevator. "We're gonna keep Kisobi happy, so we'll just have some fun!"

"Fun?" Atemu bit his lip. "What will I do?"

"Games are nice," answered Yuugi. "How about holding out some food to Kisobi and let her guess what it is?"

"There's a game like that?" asked Atemu. "But where could I find food?"

"There should be lots of food aboard," said the hikari, and they rode the elevator upwards. "Why not ask Tazue where they keep it?"

"I gue—" the sound of metal hitting metal was heard outside, and the _Empyrean_ shook violently. "What was that?" he asked, and the elevator opened in front of the two. Everyone stared at them for a moment before another bump startled them again. "What's happening?"

"Something's gettin' in!" hollered Tata. "Honda, get ready to shoot! Zue, get up there, hold 'em off, and see who's tryin' to break in!"

"Right," Zue said, and unbuckled his straps, speeding towards the elevator, where _La Madame_ had just entered. "Can you hold the fort until I come back?" The woman shrugged, and the boy entered the elevator, punched the _Deck_ button, and the doors closed.

_La Madame_ walked briskly across the cockpit. "How many on radar, Tata?"

"They damned spoofed the radar!" she replied, and banked rightwards, almost throwing everyone off balance. "They're tryin' to intercept us!"

"And Kisobi?"

"How can you expect me to keep track of her at a time at this?" Tata then looked back. "Oi! Where's Kisobi?" A little hand rose at the room's corner, where she had cuddled herself, well hidden. "Get back here, kid!"

Anzu escorted her to the front, where a squadron was waiting past the windshield. "Tata, you've never mentioned anybody was after us."

"I didn't think anybody _would_ come after us," Tata answered hastily, placing Kisobi on the woman's lap. "Anzu, get back! I'm gonna shake it off! Hang on!" As soon as Anzu reteated, Tata had banked, veered, and backed in the sky, and the finishing touch was a barrel roll that sent everybody to their knees.

"You fool!" scolded the woman, holding a dizzy Kisobi's head. "You could've thrown Zue off!"

"If ya ask me, that guy's just okay." They see a burning plane crashing into the ocean. "See?" Later on, Zue entered—Atemu noticed he looked rather pale—and it was Tata who left her seat. "My turn!"

Atemu watched from his hiding place that Zue was whispering to _La Madame_, whose face went grave at the news. She whispered something back to him, who nodded and ordered Honda _not_ to shoot. "All of you! Take Kisobi back and hide in your cabins!"

"What's going on?" asked Jounouchi.

"No time to explain now, just _hide_!" _La Madame_ rose, held Kisobi's hand and let half the group inside the elevator, then leading the rest down the stairs. While each fled into their cabins in twos, the woman called for Yuugi before kissing Kisobi's forehead. "Keep her safe, and out of sight," said, and went up the stairs again.

The airship then slowed down to a light drift. Meanwhile, the pharaoh—who had noticed that his aibou was not leading him—stopped and looked back. The boy was holding Kisobi's hand. Searching his face for an explanation, Atemu came over and clasped the girl's shoulder.

"Keep her happy, safe, and out of sight," Yuugi counted of the tasks at hand. "We might as well get started. Kisobi, you like some TV for a while?"

The little girl shrugged. "Okay." Her blank eyes stared straight past them, focused on nothing. "Is something gonna go wrong?"

"Nothing is." said Atemu. "And if anything bad _will_ happen, everything will turn out fine in the very end." He patted Kisobi's head upon speaking that last. "I haven't seen the _Nightmare Before Christmas_ before. Will you watch it with me?"

Kisobi shook her head, to the man's shock. But before he can ask why, she gave an answer. "I haven't watched it either." She placed a hand over her eyes to give her point, and Atemu wished he'd taken his question back. She laughed at the silence, and reached out her hand, feeling for something. When she brushed Atemu's shoulder, she patted it. "I get that all the time. Let's watch!"

Yuugi couldn't help but smile at the girl's optimistic attitude, that he'd almost forgot about the situation upstairs. When he heard footsteps above him, he grabbed Kisobi's hand and silently motioned everyone inside. "Let's make this quiet, okay?" he asked the two, and drew out the CD from his backpack.

"I hear footsteps, Yuugi…" Kisobi spoke with a slight fear in her voice. "Are you _sure_ everything's okay?"

"Yes, it is," Atemu helped Kisobi's way onto the couch in front of the television. "Let's sit back, and enjoy the movie, okay?"

A smile curled upon Kisobi's lips. "Okay. I'm excited to hear the songs again!"

Yuugi loaded Disc 1 into the CD player, and set the TV to _audio/video_. "I haven't watched this in a while…" he sighed. "Wait—I've got some chips for us to eat!" He returned to his back, and drew out three bags of cheese chips. "Kisobi, is cheese-flavored okay?"

"My favorite!" she answered as the movie began. "Yay, it's starting! Yuugi, it's starting!"

"Shhh!" the pharaoh hissed beside her. "You have to keep quiet to hear the dialogue." Yuugi stared at him questioningly, and the older pointed upward, mouthing, "_They might hear._"

The boy smiled at his brother, and sat on Kisobi's other side, watching the movie together, eating chips. The volume was soft enough to hear in the silence, but Yuugi kept an ear alert to check on the noise above. They weren't audible enough to make out what they were saying.

Kisobi, however, was enjoying herself. She hummed with the songs, memorizing all of them, and sometimes wondered what the characters looked like. And Atemu took the time to explain, but he, too, began to take interest in the movie.

As the movie progresses, the voices lowered and lowered in volume, and soon, there was nothing heard as the _Empyrean_ gradually picked up speed. Static was heard from the intercom in the corner of the room.

"Sorry about that," Zue's voice. "We've got the situation handled. Everything's alright; you can come out now."

"Without finishing the movie?" Kisobi pouted.

"We'll finish it next time, okay, Kisobi?" Atemu promised, taking her hand, and leading her outside, leaving Yuugi to turn off everything. The three members of Doma stood before him, and the pharaoh understood the look on Rafael's face: there was something not right.

They waited for everyone to gather up—the rest being surprised that Doma was aboard the ship—and climbed the stairs together.

Anzu, who was the first to reach the cockpit, searched for anything strange. Zue and _La Madame_ were behind the wheel, and there were no signs of struggle anywhere. But she did stiffen at the new person aboard. "Who are you?"

"Ah." _La Madame_ rose elegantly from her seat. "There is someone I want you to meet." She strolled to the newcomer: "This is Driam Jhaedizel, the overall general of our Air Force."

A ding came, and Tata emerged from the elevator. She was even paler than Zue when he first entered. "Cut the air force crap!" she said. "It's 'cause of _you_, the woman's forced to take the damn _Empyrean_ on her own!"

"Tata, I came because I was worried," the man answered sternly, and when Kisobi reached the cockpit, he stared at her. "Heavens, she hasn't grown an inch!" he gasped.

Alarmed at this, Atemu threw himself in front of the girl, who was still oblivious to the whole situation, and asked for a mango. "What do you want from her?" he asked Driam.

A wicked smirk came upon _La Madame's_ face. "_Jaloux?_"

"_Jealous?_" Zue stood up, translating the word. He looked at his twin, who bit her lip mischievously. "You wouldn't have a problem," he assured Atemu. "Driam has all rights to be here."

"Uh-huh," agreed Tata, holding out a fist. "One, he's the head general of the Jhaedizel Air Force," she counted with one finger, "two, he owns this ship, three, he's our boss—"

"Four, he is not only our boss, but the King of Jhaedizel," continued Zue. "And why don't her Grace state number five?"

With similar, arrogant expressions, both _La Madame_ and Driam held out their right hands. An identical silver band was worn on their ring fingers.

"We're married."

* * *

**A/N:** Whoot, chapter six done! …Now to decide between Gackt Camui's handsomeness and Teppei Koike's cuteness…XD

_**DISCLAIMER**_ I do not own the song. They are lyrics from Gackt's _Mizerable_.

_**ANTICIPATE!**_ Married life between _La Madame_ and Driam…and Atemu? _Jealous?_ No way! ...Right?


	7. Freedom in Sesoko

**A/N:** I have chosen! It's Teppei Koike!

**Chapter Seven: Freedom in Sesoko**

_POP!_ Streamers and confetti burst from the party hat as Kyoushi tugged on the string. The strips of colorful crepe paper showered onto the Kaiba brothers' faces as Ricky barked, wagging his tail high in the air.

Seto Kaiba brushed away the thin and puffy substances off his jacket, while Mokuba raised his hands to collect more. He looked at the girl before him. Brown hair and eyes—and regrettably clever—she hadn't changed one bit.

"Seto!" Kyoushi wrapped her arms around his tall form. "I'm so glad you came to visit us!"

"Mokuba forced me into this," he grumbled, but she did not hear, and pulled away from her grip, and turned to his brother. "We've visited her. May we leave?"

"We haven't been here for 5 seconds!" protested Mokuba, and motioned him to look down: the family's shoes were lined up cleanly before them. They were still at the entrance; outside the house. Kaiba closed his eyes, and a muscle twitched in his cheek. Mokuba mistook this for a guilty expression, and pulled his brother into the house.

"Come on in, come on in!" invited Kyoushi, and pushed Kaiba further into the house. "Mother, Daddy! Seto and Mokuba are here!"

"Nice of you to drop by!" the father came in, patting Kaiba hard on the shoulder, but still, he didn't back down. Which is why—ironically—family head Masate Ragasshiru likes Seto Kaiba. "Real man, he is!" he said to most friends.

"How many years has it been, boys?" Kyoushi's mother came in, wiping a plate. "Is business good?"

Mokuba nodded to her as Kyoushi pushed Kaiba onto a chair. "Have you eaten yet?" she asked. He maintained his placid look, and she took this as a no. "I'll make you some breakfast. We've still got some pancakes left."

"Pancakes!" Mokuba cheered. Then he noticed Ricky's bandage. "What happened to the little guy?"

"When Tazue was inside a guitar store, Ricky wandered out and walked on the street. A car ran his leg over." Kyoushi bent down to stroke the dog's side. "He's a strong boy to survive." Ricky barked happily at the compliment.

The mother, Mrs Ragasshiru, entered with the pancakes in her hand. Mokuba grabbed the maple syrup and did the honors of splashing it all over the stack of food. Too much that Kaiba refused to eat.

Kyoushi noticed this at once, and scooped part of the top pancake, setting it before his lips. "Be a good boy and eat this," she said, "for me, Seto?" He silently shook his head. "Should I feed you mouth-to-mouth, then?"

"ALL THE MORE I WOULDN'T EAT!" roared Kaiba. Mokuba stopped chewing on his pancake, Ricky yelped and hid behind the farthest chair, and Mrs Ragasshiru's head peeked from behind the kitchen door. "Everything all right, children?" she asked.

"Yes, Mother!" Kyoushi replied with such sweetness, "Seto just didn't agree with the idea of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation." As she spoke, she snuck a glower at Kaiba. He sat down gently, and rolled his eyes at her. She bit her lip, and swung the used party hat she was still holding at him.

Kaiba dodged with no effort, and caught her hand by the wrist. He looked at her from behind his shoulder. "Still too slow," he remarked coolly.

"Niisan!" Mokuba cheered. "You caught her by the wrist _again_!"

"Mokuba, you can have your brother's pancake," said Kyoushi, and Mokuba cheered again, taking Kaiba's pancake. As soon as the plate was out of the way, her clenched hand grabbed Kaiba's wrist and yanked its attached arm behind him, while her free hand wove through the CEO's hair and pushed his head onto the table. "You're so arrogant."

"Whoa…" Mokuba stared wide-eyed at Kyoushi's maneuver. "You got him trapped!"

"Think I wouldn't?" she replied, and leaned closer to Kaiba's face. "Poor Seto didn't see it coming, did he?" She put on a pout, making him look at her. "He thought I'd forget about that, did you, Seto, darling?"

"Who're you calling 'darling'?" he growled at her. "We were never that close; even _you_ know that."

Kyoushi scoffed, "Smartass. You can't come across one of your own games. Have you forgotten the sarcasm you'd taught _me_?"

"I didn't teach you sarcasm; you learned that on your own. Now, release me!" he took away his arm, and rose up. "It appears that Mokuba is the only one welcome. I can live with that." He grabbed his suitcase and left for the door.

Much to his surprise, there was no girl to block his way out. Almost turned back, he silently reminded himself that the visit was never his idea to begin with, and he was never meant to be in Okinawa to visit an old "friend".

He went past the doorframe, and out of the house. There was a small bridge that connected Sesoko to the rest of the mainland, and just as Kaiba was about to step onto this bridge, a figure cloaked in green stood before him.

He had no inclination to protect Kyoushi or her family, but Mokuba was still his responsibility. "What are you doing here?" he asked the mysterious person.

"That is none of your business," the voice from beneath the green hood answered. He was about to cross the bridge when Kaiba put an arm in the way. A sigh was heard. "Yes, the Ragasshiru family knows me. And CEO or not, you are not involved with our affairs."

Before he was able to ask how the person found out he was a CEO, he was ruthlessly brushed aside, and almost thrown onto the shore below. He knew better than to let him enter the house without knowing who he was. Let alone allow him to get away with almost pushing him off the bridge.

Kaiba rose again, and caught up with the strange man. "Remove your hood," he commanded.

The man stopped in his tracks. "As commanded," he said, and brought his hands to pull off his hood, revealing a head with short, layered blond hair. Though he was not Jounouchi.

"Turn around;" ordered Kaiba, "let me see your face."

"As commanded," the man answered again, and turned to face Kaiba. His eyes were strikingly blue, and Kaiba added to his mind, _Absolutely _not_ Jounouchi at all._

* * *

**A/N:** You didn't think I'd forget about Kaiba, did you? …I know, not in _**ANTICIPATE**_…hey, I didn't say that it's gonna be in the next chapter, right? It's just that you'll expect it in the future…oh yeah, I TRICKED YOU, DUDES!!

_**ANTICIPATE! **_Who is the mysterious dude in green? Where did he come from? And why is he in Okinawa to begin with?


	8. How Mysterious and Inquisitive You Are

**A/N:** Sorry it took so long to update! Reminding you that I do not own _Yu-Gi-Oh!_

**Chapter Eight: How Mysterious and Inquisitive You Are**

We go back to the _Empyrean_ in the sky, flying as high as its name suggests, the rain still pattering against the surface of the ship. Inside, however, the cockpit was deathly silent.

"We're married" were the last words muttered before going into this dreadful dumbness. Two adults, equally cloaked in silk and jewels, were holding out their right hands, revealing silver rings. The crowd before them stared back: the three elder men bluntly, the teenagers utterly dumbfounded.

Atemu himself was standing in front of Kisobi, his arms spread out on either side. These he gently lowered, and restrained himself from blushing in total embarrassment.

Driam brought his hand down and laughed, breaking the silence. His wife, her lips pursed tightly, slowly drew away with her husband, and took out her long pipe from a pocket in her dress, and slipped it between her lips.

"You're a respectable person," said Driam, approaching Atemu. "You can protect a child from a stranger. Rest assured, my boy, I am no stranger." He then turned to Kisobi, staring at nothing. He gently knelt down and placed his hand on her shoulders. "You grow younger and younger everytime I see you."

She yawned in response, and everyone turned to her. "I wanna eat a mango. Can you give me one later?"

Atemu blinked twice at her, all the more bewildered. Driam only smiled and whispered into her ear, making him even more embarrassed.

Then he watched Rafael place a hand on Kisobi's head, gently stroking the silver hair underneath. Kisobi stiffened at this action. "This is the girl?" He turned to _La Madame_, who gave a nod. His eyes then wandered to Atemu's, then Yuugi's. He nodded to them, as well.

"Is this the new person?" asked Kisobi, reaching for the palm on her head. "His hands are really rough." She said this as if she was uncomfortable, and Rafael removed his hand off her. Atemu secretly looked down on his own callused hand. How did she feel when he touched her head with it?

"…What's going on?" asked Jounouchi. "Why are _they_ here?" he pointed to Varon. "Are you sidetrackin' me from Mai?"

He shook his head. "We just wanted to see this girl. We'll take off, and if you want, take _it_ with us."

"Leave the blade to us. I'll see you off on your seaplane," _La Madame_ stated, resuming to huff and whiff on her pipe. "You can all come if you want to leave now. It's only the _jumeau_ that we will need." Then she left the cockpit on the elevator, Doma following her.

"…What?" asked Anzu. "What did she say?"

"She only wants the twin brothers," Zue translated, pointing to Atemu and Yuugi. "They've got a job onboard, so she's asking who'd want to go down either now, or when we land back in Sesoko."

"Back in Sesoko?" repeated Yuugi.

"Well," said Jounouchi, positioning himself in front of the said boys, "there's no use separating me from these two. We've been best friends for years."

"That's right," came in Anzu. She and Honda came to Jounouchi's side. "We've been together, all five of us. We can't leave them alone on another adventure."

Honda nodded. "We're stuck together; that's the way it is with us. If ever we were far apart, we'll find our way to each other, no matter what!" He half-raised his fist to emphasize his point.

"If my brother stays, then so will I!" Shizuka also ran to the front. Behind them, Atemu and Yuugi exchanged smiles with each other.

Zue nodded at them. "Bakura?"

The pale boy smiled, and shook his head. "You seriously want me to leave? It was my sister who told me to take care of you."

Tata then ran to her brother's side. "Look, it's gonna be more dangerous if all of you stay! Besides, I wouldn't expect you to survive in another world than your own. I mean, do you even _believe_ in other worlds?"

"But we believe there is," Otogi went forward, until he was right in front of the twins. "We believe there _are_ other worlds, besides ours. You just need to find the doors that lead to them." He turned back, and Tata's voice stopped him from moving.

"Will you leave?" she said. "Are _you_ gonna leave?"

Instead, Otogi went around the question. "We've faced other dangers before. Some almost cost us our lives. But if it weren't for those two—" he pointed past the barrier of people, and towards Yuugi and Atemu, "—we wouldn't be able to make it this far."

"You didn't answer my question," said Tata. "Are you gonna leave this airship or not?"

Yuugi gave Atemu a glance, and lurched forward to defend Otogi—

"Don't let him go!"

They turned to the voice that had spoken: Kisobi took the words right out of Yuugi's mouth. "He owes me dice, remember? And he has to teach me to play Dungeon Dice Monsters, too!"

"…Haa?" Tata said. "Kid, what's gotten into yer head? How 'bout _after_ he gives ya dice, and _after_ he shows ya how to play? I'll give ya the answer: dead weight!"

"Otogi isn't dead weight!" protested Yuugi. "He's one of our friends!"

"Then tell me," spoke Tata, "why can you bring all _your_ friends on _our_ ship? It was only supposed to be a joy ride until we turn around and go back to Sesoko! Kyoushi and the captain are waiting for us!"

There was silence for a moment, before Driam blinked. "I think," he started, "that we can turn around for now. You know our captain: he hates delays as much we hate his smoking. And for the guests here—" he tossed his head towards the teenagers, "—I can care for them in Haleorine Castle, and there they wait until we find the others."

"What?!" shouted Tata, and her brother gave her a stern look.

"Excuse her manners," said Driam, "she does this only for your safety. We want to involve as few people as we could. I'm really sorry you have to be entangled with our affairs."

His voice was so modest that Atemu had almost forgotten he was a king. He nodded back with the same air of meekness, adding, "It's okay. We can wait."

As much as he didn't want to admit it, he wanted all the time he can get to understand everything that was happening. It was all thrown at him like a furl of old scrap clothes, and he was absolutely perplexed with all the statements that hardly seem to be related.

At he reached those last thoughts, another sickening feeling whirled in his head and pounded for release on his stomach. He clasped his mouth, catching Yuugi's attention.

The boy's eyes widened and he called for a bag. Tata and Zue sped to get one near the controls, but they had heard the retch only halfway.

They turned to see Atemu vomiting—into Kisobi's sundress. She was kneeling beside him with her hands on his head, as if she had pulled it towards the skirt of her dress so it can catch the spew without spilling on the floor.

"…How did you know?" asked Shizuka.

"…Her ears," answered Zue. "She was already a good hearer before she became blind."

Atemu groaned as he finished, and looked at his own vomit. It was all practically liquid, reminding him that he hadn't any breakfast that morning. Then he looked up at Kisobi, panting slowly. "…Thank you."

"Are you okay?" asked the girl.

"Yes. I'm fine now." He watched her smile, but tears were forming in her eyes.

"Oh, no." Tazue said.

Atemu began to stammer an apology. "…I-I'm so sorry, Kisobi, I didn't mean to ruin your clothes—"

Too late. She had wailed. And the pharaoh thought he'd never felt so embarrassed in his life.

* * *

Anzu strolled along the cabins later on—actually, it was past noontime, and the Empyrean had turned around and was on its way back to Sesoko. When she met _La Madame_ again, Doma had already left for shore. The boys were settling in their rooms after a decent lunch, and Anzu was to visit Yuugi in his and Atemu's room.

Atemu's name then repeated in her head. He was very handsome, that was true, and gentle, and very sweet when he wasn't fighting for the world. Also, he showed his friends a more humble personality than his proud, public persona. He seemed very comfortable living with Yuugi in Domino, yet she always wondered what he's given up to live with them.

Anzu approached the brothers' door, and knocked twice. She heard a voice on the other side, then the clicking of the doorknob, and before her stood Atemu. Her heart fluttered, seeing his jacket off, with only a loose tee covering his torso.

She smiled. "Hey. Just wanted to check out the room. Mind?"

The ex-pharaoh shook his head. "Not at all; come in." He stood aside, and let Anzu step inside the room. Yuugi was smiling from his bed, like he was resting before she'd come in. The desks were clean, and the sofa had Atemu's jacket on the seat. Looking at the TV, she noticed that the DVD player was still on.

"I wonder," she started, "how could an airship like this have a suite floor? I don't think it fits."

"You were thinking the same thing?" asked Yuugi. "Maybe it was only for today. If we go to wherever they'll take us, the stuff's gonna be taken."

"Maybe. I heard from Bakura that Tata said this was an air cruiser that had gone all over wherever-they'll-take-us."

"Wherever-they'll-take-us seems to be far from here," sad Atemu; hearing the invented term from his lips almost made Anzu laugh. "Another world? Wouldn't we at least get our things from the villa?"

"You will." Driam's voice floated across the room from the archway that he stood from. They turned to meet him, and Atemu gave a solemn bow. "No need," he told him, "it's not yet Jhaedizel. I have no power over Japan as my wife puts it."

"How did you marry?" asked Yuugi, with an evident blush. "I mean…she seems kind of…well, snobbish. But you're…I, um…" he stopped stuttering and looked down, very red.

Driam gave a light chuckle, and sighed. "My wife may seem that way, but I'm sure I made a good choice on marrying her." He sat down on Yuugi's bed, his hand patting his leg. "She was just trying to earn respect from you. My wife is a wonderful woman; she will take care of anyone who gains her trust. Please understand that."

Atemu secretly remembered watching _La Madame_ taking Kisobi with the boys, like a mother putting her child in the care of her older cousins. Then he figured another question. "And her name?"

"She doesn't tell anyone her name. Just us in the crew." They stared at him, and the next question was quite obvious. "Four years ago, we were ten people who were a crew. We'd sailed over the lands together, and made bonds. We were planning to regroup now, but one of us is missing."

"Kisobi and Tazue were only 12," observed Anzu. "What did they do?"

"The twins were talented with steering engines. Our captain took them in for training. And Yukiasobi…she wasn't blind then, and she was very good with fighting. She was my first recruit, along with a man who had been accompanying her. Tragically, that man had already died. Knowing that we wouldn't be as complete as we'd always been, the crew decided to go on hiatus. We separated ways for some time."

"So…there are only nine of you left?" asked Atemu. "We're sorry to hear."

"It isn't your fault that the man had died. But it was a sad loss. Little Kisobi had cried like we'd never seen her cry." There was a pause as Driam cleared his throat. "Well, enough about us. May I hear your story? Why won't this young man begin?" He nodded to Atemu.

The tanned face went red, and Anzu guessed that he was still embarrassed when he'd made Kisobi cry just a few hours ago. Driam shared to the room once more his rich chuckle.

"There isn't much for me to tell about," Atemu said humbly. "It's really Yuugi's story that you need to tell."

"You still have stories of your own!" said Anzu. "The times when Yuugi wasn't there! You can't expect him to tell _those_ kinds of stories too, do you?"

"Is it safe?" Yuugi asked, and Anzu stared, swinging back to reality. Atemu's stories were a personal matter between his friends, and Kaiba. She too, also began to doubt if telling Driam everything was necessary at all.

"Ah, confidential as well? I understand. Then why don't you tell me something about yourself, instead?" Driam had an especially handsome smile that might as well let him replace Charles as Crown Prince of England.

"Myself?" repeated Atemu, as modestly as ever. "I'm very good with games, sire. But, I don't go to school, so Yuugi tutors me as much as he could. In fact, he's done so many things for me, that I had wanted to repay him as much as I could, also."

"Tell him what else you do," Anzu heard Yuugi whisper through his teeth.

"I help around with our grandfather at a game shop, and our mother with groceries. Sometimes I walk around the city alone, and on the other hand, I have dates with Anzu. We share one bedroom, where Yuugi has the bed and I have the futon, and frankly, I'm scared of ghosts."

"Ah, ghosts…" Driam shrank into deep thought. "Well, expect a fair lot of ghosts in the woods between the countries. And the lady? What are her specialties?"

"I dance," answered Anzu, "I want to go to New York and study dance. "I'm saving up for everything, so I'm sure I can do it!"

"An ambitious one," the king complemented. "The best of luck with your dream. And the other boy?" He turned around in his seat, facing Yuugi.

The hikari sat up. "Well…I never do very well in school…" he said shyly, "but I teach Atemu whatever I could understand. My mother hates it when I leave my room late, and threatens to hit me with her ladle. When I grow up, I want to have a decent job, but I don't know what…"

The man before him nodded. "Well, you're sure to find something. Now—" he stood up, "—I take my leave here. Enjoy your stay."

"Yes sire," said Atemu.

Another of his smiles, and Driam closed the door.

"Strange guy," remarked Yuugi. "But…he's kinda cool."

"You think?" said Atemu. Apparently, he agreed. To step down from his throne and blend in with the normal people was something he might not have been able to do at all. It was a strange mix of envy and admiration that he'd felt. "…How's Kisobi, Anzu?"

"She's asleep," she answered. "They say she'll wake up tonight, if nothing disturbs her."

"What do you mean?"

"I asked the same thing, and they said, 'Either her nose or her ears.' I don't get it at all."

**A/N:** I am being tortured with Teppei-uta(the songs of Teppei)! I am _so_ gonna lose it!

_**ANTICIPATE!**_ The one known as the Marvel.

* * *


	9. Though You Expect All

**A/N:** I'm so on writer's block! Please give me advice whenever you get the chance!

**Chapter Nine: Though You Expect All  
(Expect Nothing to Happen as Planned)**

An alarm sounded throughout the ship, and Zue's voice rang in each of the intercoms: _"All hands into the cockpit. All hands into a cockpit. The _Empyrean_ will land in two minutes, and you have until then to load. All hands into the cockpit; _now_."_

Atemu stared blankly at Yuugi, not able to understand. The boy smiled. "'All hands' means 'everyone on board'. We all have to get to the cockpit and prepare for landing. I think they suppose it'll be better that all of us are close to each other, because we only got limited movement during one."

"Come on!" Anzu yelled over the alarm. "Only two minutes to regroup!"

Outside, the rest of the boys (and Shizuka) were already meeting up in front if the elevator. They moved up to the cockpit, and rushed to the sides, grabbing the hooks tightly. Driam and _La Madame_ were already strapped up, with Kisobi clinging onto the woman. She had a new white dress on, and there were still some faint traces of tears left in her eyes; seeing them, the ex-pharaoh looked away in sheepishness.

Tata's voice blended with the rush. "Guys, better get a grip on that vomiting guy! This landing will take lots if getting used to!"

Yuugi gripped his brother, and gently massaged his stomach, while Otogi shouted: "Does it always have to be like this?"

"Always, people! Now, hold on! We're ready!" Next, a beeping, then, the voice of a machine:

_Commencing descent into…the Pacific Ocean, near Sesoko, Okinawa._ The ship dove promptly towards the ocean below them, and screaming was heard across the sky.

* * *

When the_ Empyrean_ had landed, Tata and Zue steered a couple of speedboats to the villa in Naha. There, everybody packed up before going back to the island, and their cell phones were tucked into the bags (even if Tata said they won't be able to reach anyone right after the trip).

In their room, Yuugi checked his cell. Thankfully, he'd received no missed calls from his grandpa. Then, he typed in: _Going on another adventure. No signal as soon as I leave. Tell mom I'm sorry, and that it was short notice, and I'm gonna be okay._ After sending the message, he packed the device into his bag.

He turned to Atemu, and said, "I sent Jiichan a message telling him not to worry about us, and to tell mom sorry that it was short notice."

"I hope Mom would understand," he replied, and took his cartouche from his bedside table. With his name still embedded freshly in hieroglyphics, he had made it a habit to wear it around his neck for good luck, or during times in which he needed hope. This next adventure, he was positive, was one of those times.

Jounouchi peeked into the room. "You guys done?"

Atemu nodded to him. "We just finished packing. You?"

"Yeah, finished up, and Anzu and Shizuka got one bag to share. And the fees were paid for an overnight, and twins said we'll leave in a half hour. So," he sat on one of the beds. "What was Doma doing aboard?"

"_La Madame_ asked something from them," answered Yuugi, "a weapon of some kind. It looked really old, and there was dried blood on it." The others watched as the hikari shivered. "I couldn't imagine how many people had died by it."

Atemu's chest went heavy with anger at the event. "What made it worse was that they claimed that Kisobi had used that blade! I can't even imagine that!"

"You're kidding," explained Jounouchi. "The blind kid—_killing_? Who?"

Yuugi looked at Atemu. "We better tell him," he said, and returned to the blonde's puzzled look. "Atemu's…one of those people. He's been having nightmares lately. Do you remember the Orichalcos God?"

Jounouchi backed a little. "You mean that thing that tried to absorb us in Atlantis? Of course I do! And Atemu—_nightmares_? C'mon, tell me more!" He leaned forward, very interested.

"In the dreams," said Atemu, "the Orichalcos God was still alive. And every time before I wake up, it gets to eat me whole." He paused to let Jounouchi comprehend what he was saying, and at the same time, trying to recollect the rest of what recurred. "Dartz was there, and he was trying to give me an order. I couldn't remember what it is. And then—" he shivered, "—there was this girl. I couldn't remember her face, either…but…one dream after another, she's there, and she kills me with that scythe I had seen. They're a team, both her, and the serpent. I wake up shouting every night I had it."

He and Yuugi stared at Jounouchi, waiting for his reaction. Their friend merely stared back, dumbstruck. Several moments after, he stood up and sighed deeply, running a hand through his bangs. "Whoa," he said, "there's a crazy chick out to kill you. You're getting famous."

Though Yuugi understood that the blonde was only trying to lift their spirits, Atemu only looked away, dreading the next time he'd have the dream. Jounouchi himself noticed it, too, and said aloud: "There you go again."

The ex-pharaoh turned around, surprised. "…What?"

"It's just a dream. You can't _really_ expect it to kill you." Jounouchi approached his friend, wrapping an arm around his neck. "C'mon, I'll get Kisobi's sister whip us some drinks when we get back to her place."

"Kisobi's…sister?" asked Yuugi. "She has one?"

"'Course she does. We used to play together when we was still neighbors. I'll introduce you guys when we get there, alright?"

The hikari beamed, but as for the yami…he lay on his bed, his heart on the brink of being overwhelmed by fear. "The pain was real," he muttered. "I could feel the wounds that they were causing me, whether I was being stabbed, sliced, _or_ chewed. I…" he closed his mouth.

"It's okay to be afraid." Jounouchi sat on Atemu's bed. "Look, as long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Besides, we got tour guides, right Yuugi?"

"_Twin_ tour guides," emphasized the hikari behind them. "And Jounouchi's right. As long as we stick together, we'll be fine. Now—" he held out a hand to Atemu, "—don't be a worrywart and get up. We've got another adventure ahead of us!"

"Oh man, this is gonna be better than Okinawa!" Jounouchi cried as he rose. "Get ready! We're _flyin'_! Yeah!"

* * *

On the ground floor, the Empyrean crew waited. Kisobi was eating a mango at the foot of the stairs; the twins were on top of the same flight, sitting on both banisters on either side of the steps; and finally, Driam and _La Madame_ each had their sabre out, fencing. The Queen, being taller than her husband, was at an advantage, for she found it easy to lunge for her target spots.

As her sabre thrust, Driam gave a narrow dodge, and attempted to go for his wife's waist. In turn, the woman parried flexibly, and pulled away, out of harm's reach.

"Should you still be fencing?" Zue asked _La Madame_.

"It's just fencing," Tata told her brother. "It ain't gonna hurt or anything. So, anyway—" she turned to the fencing couple below her, "—how are the rest doing?"

"I made sure they were already inside the castle before I left," the King panted, dodging another lunge. "The captain is, of course, waiting for us in Sesoko. Careful, dear." _La Madame_ almost tripped over her skirt, and had barely caught her footing. "You should rest."

_La Madame_ stretched out a long, slender arm, pointing the sabre before Driam. He persisted: "You _must_ rest. You had a long night of driving the ship."

"She drove the ship all night?!" Kisobi's voice came muffled, her mouth stuffed with yellow, juicy fruit. "Aren't you sleepy?"

"_Apparament_, I am neither sleepy, nor tired," the Queen answered. To further express her denial, she thrust her blade to her husband, cutting his side. "First blood; I win."

"I gave myself away," he answered. Even Kisobi had sensed the hurt in his voice. "Look, I didn't know that you took me so personally. I didn't mean what I had said in the bedroom. I was foolish to have fought against your feelings."

"You ought to be," growled the woman. "I'm not going to wait for an _order_ before I search!"

"I know; I was only concerned for your safety—"

"I've been in more dangerous scrapes!" _La Madame_ raised her voice. "I can protect myself very well. You could've blown your cover, sending a whole fleet with you, straight from Jhaedizel, just to get _me_?"

* * *

The gang hid behind one of the protruding east walls of the house, staying out of _La Madame's_ view, and listening to her angry voice. "Concerned for my safety," she scoffed, "you were only concerned for _him_, not me!"

"That isn't true." Driam's voice stayed strong, but his face fell in regret.

"Oi, hear the guy out, for Chrissakes!" Tata yelled. "Look, the kid's gonna get a beatin' from listening to ya!"

Anzu carefully peeped past the woman, and at Kisobi, whose blank, gray eyes were looking miserably on the floor. "Look at her," she said with a pitiful tone. "They just had to fight in front of her, did they?"

"Those guys make a great couple, but they're not really smart ones," Otogi observed with a dull tone.

"Should we just stay here?" asked Yuugi. "I really don't want to barge into an argument…"

"Especially if it's between man and wife," added Jounouchi. "Can't we creep around, or something? I don't wanna be around here as much as that blind kid is."

"There's a door near here," said Shizuka, "the one I used earlier today to come around front. We can exit there, and then someone has to get in once they finish fighting."

"Sounds like a great plan, Shizuka," Honda said appreciatively, and Otogi raised his fist in irritation. "Let's do it."

"You go ahead," Bakura suggested with a fair smile. "I'll have to speak with the twins for a moment." He departed, and Atemu had almost followed him, when Anzu grabbed his hand. He turned to watch her shake her head.

"C'mon!" Honda hissed. "If that woman hears us, we're toast!" Anzu tugged once more on Atemu's hand, and led him out of the villa.

Outside, Jounouchi stretched his arms, and groaned. "So we just wait here until they're done, eh? That's easy to spend a half hour."

"Wouldn't the captain be angry?" Yuugi asked nervously. "The king said he doesn't like late arrivals."

"Hey, it's a king-queen argument, ain't it?" Jounouchi asked back. "That's bound to be a valid reason, right, Atemu?"

Remaining silent for all that time, the ex-pharaoh was startled as the question was directed to him. "I…really don't know. I'm sorry."

Honda sighed. "You've been spacing out since we got here yesterday. Is that why you vomited again today?"

"I think so. I'm sorry."

"It's too late to apologize now," shrugged Anzu. "Anyway, let's just wait for the others to get out. Shizuka and I'll leave you guys alone for a bit." She took Jounouchi's sister and began a stroll towards the gate.

"Oh man," groaned Jounouchi, "I'll guess I'll have to put up introducing you guys to Kyoushi a little bit longer."

"What's she like?" asked Otogi.

"Actually, she kinda looks like Shizuka," he answered, and kept a cold eye at Otogi _and_ Honda as he did. "Brown hair, brown eyes, and a genius with computers and programming and stuff."

"Like Kaiba!" exclaimed Yuugi.

"And I am _very_ proud to say that Kyoushi has a higher IQ than Kaiba!" Jounouchi, indeed, spoke with pride, and also admiration. "With her brains, she can _easily_ replace that freak as President and CEO of KaibaCorp!" He chortled loudly, as if hoping that Kaiba heard his insults.

"Then why didn't she?" Honda and Otogi asked boringly.

The blond raised a finger, with a goofy expression supposedly pasted on his face. After a moment, it fell comically, "That I don't know."

Both Otogi and Honda's bodies stiffened, and they fell hard on the ground. Atemu watched, amused: they were like statues that fell from their marble posts, and didn't shatter when they hit the cement. He laughed.

"Would you look at that?" Jounouchi stared at the laughing pharaoh with wonder. "Otogi, Honda, do that more often; Atemu _likes_ 'em!"

Yuugi beamed at his yami, and joined in the foolery: "And when we board, make sure he hears your heads hit the metal!" Then, he clung to Jounouchi and they both laughed heartily at their own joke.

Atemu, feeling the joy and spirit of is friends tainting the air, was then contaminated, and he, too, laughed with Yuugi and Jounouchi. Soon, Otogi and Honda recover, and shrug at each other.

In those moments, time seemed to stop. As long as they were together, they could've forgotten about staying in Jhaedizel. However, good things such as these never tend to last. Their dream ended with a hoarse call:

"Oi! We gotta go!" Tata hollered. She opened the front door and walked out, flowed by Zue and Bakura, then Driam, who had a cloth over his cut, and broken face, and lastly, _La Madame_, holding Kisobi's hand in one—she was already eating the mango seed, and juice dripped onto her new dress—, hers and Driam's sabre in the other. She sighed at the sight of her husband's face, and approached him to whisper softly into his ear.

Zue ushered the gang to move before they see the outcome of the spat. Tata, meanwhile, brought Kisobi and took out a piece of cloth from her cargo pants pocket. This she wrapped around the blind girl's neck, and tied it under her collar. It was only when the came closer that the gang had recognized the cloth as a darkish-blue necktie.

_Finally, some color,_ thought Atemu. In truth, Kisobi's paleness had almost gotten into his nerves.

"Hey," Otogi said, inspecting the necktie, "that kinda reminds me: wonder where Kaiba checked in?"

* * *

Nobody had any knowledge of Kaiba's whereabouts either until the speedboats had returned to Sesoko Island. They found both brothers inside the house, the older silently, working, with a girl's arms around him, wanting to help out. Meanwhile, Mokuba was having an excellent conversation with his new friend in green.

The twins ran to the green man as soon as they saw him. If you had read about how Prince Caspian rejoined with his old nurse near the end of _The Ch__ronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian_, it was exactly like this.

Mokuba stood up, and shook hands with Zue. The red-haired boy was slightly alarmed at the young Kaiba's politeness, compared to the older, globally famous one. He gladly accepted Mokuba's acquaintance before turning to reminisce with his teacher.

Kisobi then entered the house, and called, "Kyoushi? Where are you?"

In response, Ricky the ridgeback limped from beneath the dining table, and barked at Jounouchi, and the girl alongside Kaiba turned to him. "Richard, down," she said, and faced her visitors. The gang watched as her eyes widened.

Jounouchi chuckled, and nervously placed a hand behind his head. "Guess I came of much of a shock, eh?"

"Katsuya!" she squealed, and ran towards him, and flung his arms around his broad torso. Behind her brother, Shizuka emerged, and the girls embraced as well. Last, she took her sister's hand, and led her to a chair to talk with Mokuba before she returned. "It's been years!"

"Yeah, high school and Duel Monsters kept me real busy," answered Jounouchi. "Well anyway, since it's vacation right now, and we got us into Okinawa and all, but…oh yeah," he turned to face the rest of his friends. "Guys, this is Kyoushi Ragasshiru."

Kyoushi beamed at them, and raised a hand in greeting. "You might recognize my name in a manga."

"I sure do!" Shizuka said. "Anzu, remember _Shoujo no Hiwa_? Kyoushi's the author!"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Anzu was also going hyper. "_You_ wrote it?"

"Sure did," answered Kyoushi. "It's kind of like a side-hobby. But I never thought it would get so famous…" she chuckled softly. "But I'm kind of stopping for a while, but I'm always keeping an eye out for a good idea." She sighed. "Anyway…Ruben, do you need any oil?"

"No thank you, Kyoushi," the man in green answered, releasing Tazue from his grip. "And Lyria, is the _Empyrean_ shipshape?"

Undoubtedly, the question as directed at _La Madame_. And everyone—even Kaiba, but he wouldn't care—had clearly heard the name. The gang stared agape, but Atemu caught Driam's eyes staring at him. The king shook his head.

"That's as close as you'll be to knowing her real name," he said aloud.

_La Madame_ cast her eyes lazily at the group beside her, with a very smug smirk on her lips. "I had expected a warmer reaction, but this will do. And yes, Ruben, the _Empyrean_ is shipshape. Why shouldn't it be? It's a reunion, is it not?"

"Fine, shipshape, then" Ruben said, "but maybe messy, with you landing in sea water and full suites. I'll have it cleaned before I signal takeoff, alright?" Then he gave the twins a glare. "…You didn't scratch it, did you?"

"No, sir!" they said simultaneously.

"Then you can help. We'll clear the suites, get all the dead weight and load them into the weapon hold. Am I clear?"

"Aye aye, captain!" the twins cried, and ran out the house first. Before the captain followed, he exchanged looks with _La Madame_, nodded, and silently departed.

"Ruben's a good guy," commented Mokuba.

"He's the captain of the _Empyrean_, and also the caretaker," explained Driam. "He loves the ship like his own child."

"Isn't that kind of obsessive of him?" asked Otogi.

"No!" Kisobi pouted. "He's got time for all of us! And Kyoushi too!"

Her older sister beamed. "At least he's nicer than _some_ people, right, _Seto_?"

Seto Kaiba only scoffed, without looking up from his laptop.

"At least we agree on one _more_ thing, Kyoushi," said Jounouchi. "We _both_ despise Kaiba's stuck-up attitude!"

"I get the digs there!" said Honda.

"I do, too!" added Otogi.

She laughed heartily. "Yes, Katsuya, you're right! Seto is _so_ self-centered."

"At least I'm good at what I do," Kaiba grumbled as he looked up from his computer. "Not like _that_ despicable pup."

"What did you just say?!" The blond lunged for Kaiba, and Yuugi and Atemu pushed him back. "You dirty piece of—"

Ricky barked at Jounouchi as he swore, and Kyoushi glowered at him. "Not in front of Kisobi!"

Anzu sniggered behind Jounouchi, and volunteered to go outside. "I want some air before we leave Japan. Who wants to come?"

"Me!" Shizuka cried, and automatically, Jounouchi, Otogi, and Honda volunteered, too. The five of them ran out, while Bakura—who'd stayed silent the whole visit, spoke: "Kyoushi, shouldn't Kisobi say goodbye to her parents?"

"I guess it's best," Kyoushi smiled at him. "I really wished we could've talked longer, but…time never waits for anything. Kisobi," she went to the chair. "You better see Mom and Dad. You'll be leaving soon."

"Where are you going?" asked Mokuba.

"Oh, just to get her eyes checked," she answered. "And the _Empyrean_'s what we call this steamboat that the twins drive. And Mokuba, there's some food in the refrigerator. Go get some now. And up we go, sis."

"Okay, Kyoushi." She responded just as quietly, and Yuugi, Atemu, and Bakura heard the reluctance in her voice. She didn't want to leave her parents. A sniff was heard across the room.

Kyoushi waited until Mokuba was far enough not to hear. "No tears," she Kyoushi. "You'll have a long journey ahead of you, and you're not coming home after a long time. You gotta be strong. _Everyone_ must." She continued soothing her sister as they climbed up, Ricky following after them. Yuugi was closest to them as he and his friends witnessed it.

The other world was farther than they thought.

_Much_…farther than they'd thought.

* * *

"Poor kid," said Honda. He, with Otogi, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Shizuka were sitting along the borders of the island, the vast, empty water before them. "She's not gonna see this place for some time, I guess."

"Neither are we," commented Otogi. "We'll have to stick together once we land, too. We don't know how big the place is gonna be."

"Someone's bound to meet us when we land, right?" said Anzu. "You know, like a tour guide?"

"Maybe," answered Shizuka. "But we're not in control of this trip, anyway. Katsuya, what do you think?"

Jounouchi was staring out towards the sea, and didn't hear his sister the first time. But when Honda nudged him, he'd returned to earth.

"…What?" he turned to Shizuka. "S-sorry, I was…I was thinking. But yeah, we got Tazue as our tour guide. Anyway, what _would_ they want with Yuugi and Atemu? I mean, didn't you hear what Tata called Otogi? Dead weight; I don't believe it!"

"You owe Yuugi for defending you," Anzu told Otogi. "In a way, we all do. Atemu and Bakura, too! What do you say we do something for him, too?"

Honda shrugged. "Alright, but I'm warning ya now: it's tough to get him a present, now that he's got everything." Beside him, Otogi and Jounouchi nodded in agreement.

"Why don't we get something when we land?" suggested Shizuka. "New world, right? Maybe new things, too!"

"Shizuka, when did you become a genius?" Anzu hugged the girl tightly. "We'll get Tazue to tour us around, and then we get something for Yuugi! It'll be easy!"

A thud was heard behind them, and the group looked up—Kisobi was standing in front of the window. She inhaled deeply, as if smelling something. Then she turned back inside, saying something. None had heard what she said, but Ricky began to bark at whatever it was.

"That can't be good," remarked Jounouchi.

"We better find the others," sajd Otogi. A humming amidst the water told them that the ship was going to take off. "Here comes Bakura."

From one side of them, the white-haired boy approached them, whilst Ruben and the twins with coming from the other; from the sea. "All aboard!" the captain's voice rang clear across the emptiness, loud enough for all to hear.

"What's going on?" Anzu called back at them.

When the boats reached the coast, Zue ushered the batch into his. "Something's coming this way. It's big, and we have to go—now."

"…Exactly how big?" came Honda. "What, like a huge submarine?"

"Either that, or the biggest whale on Earth is around here," answered Tata. Observing the blank expressions, she added, "and _no_, I ain't kidding. Get on!"

The gang obediently followed, but Jounouchi looked back to the house. "Where are Yuugi and Atemu?"

Upon hearing the names, Ruben swore under his breath, and turned to the twins. "Zue, take them to the ship," he commanded, referring to his . "Tata, wait here and board the rest."

The twins nodded, and Zue sped back.

The group stood together, looking back at the island. And just a distance from it, a large tide was approaching. Above them, the rain begun again.

"Think it's just a pre-tsunami?" asked Jounouchi.

"No," came the straight answer of Zue.

* * *

**A/N:** Amen, hallelujah! I FINALLY finished this chapter! Stupid schoolwork keeps giving me block! Anyway, thank God I've done it!

_**ANTICIPATE!**_ Big thing!


	10. Sushi and the Serpent

**A/N:** Okay, where were we…? Oh right, big thing heading for Sesoko. Let's goooooooooo!

**Chapter Ten: Sushi and the Serpent**

Atemu and Yuugi were inside the house with Kaiba, Mokuba and the ever-royal couple of Jhaedizel when they heard Ricky barking upstairs. Outside, the _Empyrean_ hummed deeply, readying for takeoff.

Upstairs, Kyoushi looked out the house abruptly, and Kisobi took another hard sniff. "Something's mixing with the salt spray," she said, "and it's getting stronger."

"Kisobi, come here," her mother had nervously commanded, and she eagerly back away from the window, straight into her mother's arms. They embraced tightly, and the father kissed the top of her head. "Be a good girl, and listen to Tazue. They'll protect you from here."

"Why can't you come with me?"

"We'd want to, but we can't," Mrs Ragasshiru answered. "We have to stay and take care of Ricky and the Kaibas, but we'll talk to you as often as we can, okay?"

"Yes, mum." Kyoushi pulled her sister away. "I'll get her down." She began leading Kisobi to the stairs.

"Be strong!" their father called.

From downstairs, everybody had heard Kisobi's response of "Yes, Daddy!" as Kyoushi led her down, holding the girl by hand, followed by Ricky, who took longer.

The older sister had practically shoved Kisobi into Atemu and Yuugi's arms as they reached the bottom, and pushed the three together out of the house.

The rain had returned, and on their left was the Okinawan mainland stretching outward from their left. The rest was a large mass of sea, and a wave was charging towards the island—towards _them_.

The brothers were only able to take one small glance when the man in green came running past them, to _La Madame_ and Driam. "Something's tracking us. Your Highnesses have to board immediately."

"And not a minute to lose," answered _La Madame_. She turned to the boys. "Take her and go!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" They ran to the edge of the isle, where Tata waited with her boat. "Oi! Get your asses over here!" she hollered.

"Alright, alright," groaned Yuugi, and pulled his yami towards the boat. Behind them was the captain who'd fetched them, and Kisobi with _La Madame_, and the king.

One by one, they boarded the boat, and Tata revved the engine, and sped like mad for the _Empyrean_. Behind them, the wave shrank and slowed down, but no halt. The boarders turned, and watched as the wave shifted direction—their direction.

Now, on Atemu's part, what he saw _La Madame_ do was risky, maybe even crazy for a woman like her. She picked up her skirts, and stepped onto the ledge of the bow, with only her husband's hand to stabilize her balance. Now, I'm aware I have forgotten to describe her to you. You must've imagined that she was prim and conceited enough to keep her face neat and tidy. Not in her case.

Narrow golden eyes gleamed through long and straight chestnut hair, and what made it even untidier was that her bangs had not been trimmed to actually _clear_ her face, but to practically _conceal_ it.

With the insane speed that Tata was maintaining, her hair had struck violently against the sweeping winds, and the bangs had revealed an oval face with a long nose, slightly rounded at the tip; a strong jawline, and a sharp chin. This face she leaned forward, stretching out a thin, graceful neck, trying to get a good look at the creature from a distance.

"What do you see?" Driam asked behind her. Now, Driam had dark, flimsy hair; same with his eyes, with just a small hint of red in them. He had a slightly muscular build, in contrast to his lanky wife. Effectively, he was about a foot shorter than her.

_La Madame_ didn't answer immediately. Her eyes were fixed on the approaching wave that had been reduced to a lump. In a while, she cocked her head a little to her right. "…Yukiasobi, what do you smell?"

Kisobi closed her eyes, lowered her head, and pondered for a moment. "Hmm…I know that I _know_ the smell…" she muttered, "where did I recognize it…" Another moment and her head jerked. "I smell sushi!"

"Be more specific," Ruben said. He had been sitting beside her, gripping her wrist. "What kind of sushi?"

"Squid!"

Driam and the captain exchanged looks, and Tata began to drive faster. "Oh, great!" she shouted, "_Just_ great!"

"…What's coming after us?" Yuugi asked nervously.

"Remember the rumor in Funka Bay?" Tata asked. "The _thing_ that was living there's heading this way!"

Atemu watched as the hikari's widened in sheer terror. "You mean—" _La Madame_ got down before the boat titled steeply to one side, and the two brothers were prompted to face the side of the boat, and the ocean. And under_neath_ the ocean, amidst all the rain was a red tentacle. A gigantic, red tentacle.

"Akkorokamui!" Yuugi cried. "Akkorokamui's real!"

"Of course it's real," _La Madame_ muttered as the speedboat leveled. However, the water rose high in the boat, and still, the rain went on. "Why shouldn't it be?"

"The hell it's here?!" Tata exclaimed, and growled in rage. "Okay, _that's_ it! Everyone, hold on! Lyria, give me the signal to go full speed ahead!"

_La Madame_ opened her arms, and Driam pulled everyone to her. Meanwhile, as Ruben removed her fur cloak, when a red tentacle rose out of the water and tilted the boat again and he lost his balance. "Goddamit, hurry up!" Tata yelled over the loud hum of the creature.

"…Akkorokamui, the giant squid," muttered Kisobi. Atemu turned to her with interest. "The monster haunting Funka Bay, near Hokkaido."

Ruben stood up again, and fastened one end the fur cloak on the tallest post inward of the boat, the other around the queen's waist. Then he took his place alongside Driam, Kisobi and the boys. "We're ready," he said.

"Full speed ahead," _La Madame_ ordered, and Tata promptly obeyed, ushering the boat to zoom as fast as she could. The woman looked back, but the creature was still very close. "We have to shake it, but not kill it."

"We'll fry it later!" Tata swerved as they approached the _Empyrean_, the hatch wide open for entry. What was bad though…"Zue! Can't you wait for another 5 seconds?!"

For the airship was slowly lifting itself off the sea. At this, Tata almost went mad with rage and forced the speedboat give her very all. About a yard from the airship, she let go of the wheel and shut down the engine before catching a rope thrown by her brother, and tied it to one of the banisters. This kept the sea vehicle from going off course, and it lifted into the air, and out of the water.

It tilted very steeply, of course, with seawater and rainwater mixed together pouring in torrents off the vehicle, lightening it by a tad. None had fallen, though, because of the fact that Tata was in front of a door, and the cloak around _La Madame's_ waist.

Akkorokamui, however, didn't seem to take any chances. He flung a tentacle out of the surface, and wrapped it around the boat, pulling it back with the rest of the airship.

Yuugi yelped at the sudden jerk, and Kisobi had clung tighter to Driam. "We could use a little help down here," the king called to the hatch of the _Empyrean_. In response, Zue scurried swiftly down the rope, in a new outfit, and grabbed the waistband that he was wearing, wrapped one end round his leg, and the other around _La Madame's_ arm. Effectively, he dangled in the air, only by the grip of the queen's palm.

Atemu couldn't see what Zue had did to Akkorokamui, but whatever it was, it resulted in a loud roar, and the squid's tentacle slid off the vehicle.

It took one more shake before everything calmed for a while, and as Zue carefully unhooked his leg, Ruben let go of the huddle. "We have to pull the boat in before he strikes again." He then motioned the twins to go up first before he followed.

Yuugi and Atemu expected _La Madame_ to say something against Ruben, but she only nodded, and tightened the coat round herself. "We have to get higher before the beast appears again," she said. "Keep your hold."

Never having faced an aquatic foe before, the boys flung themselves on her upon impulse, afraid to let go and become Akkorokamui's appetizer. One arm held them back, whilst the other—with Zue's waistband still one—she held to Driam. "Tie this to the balustrade."

Kisobi, whose clothes began to soak, had to let go of the king, and Yuugi brought her in to huddle with them. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and as her hands touched his arm, and he could feel it trembling. The turn of events had left her confused and scared. "It'll be okay," he promised her once again. "We'll be alright. Tata and Zue are going to pull us up before that mean ol' squid gets us."

"I don't wanna fall," she replied, "I don't wanna be eaten by Akkorokamui. I wanna go home!"

_La Madame_ began to walk upward, very carefully, to the banister, and clasped it firmly. It was about as high as they could go.

Also sensing her need for assurance, Atemu began to speak: "We're not going to let the squid get you. Nor would we let anything _else_ get you. You have a man's word, Kisobi; we'll protect you all the way." He took her hand and gripped it tight, remembering how sharp her active senses were. "Memorize it."

The girl felt it for a while, and gripped it tight as another roar came from below. "It's back?"

"It's _surfacing_," Driam said. The brothers looked past _La Madame_'s body, and watched as Akkorokamui's big, inflated body rose out of the water. He was red all over, with large sclerae and dark, almond eyes. The top his head ended in a soft flare and six tentacles reached for his target once more.

The boat began to move upward, as Ruben and the twins began reeling in the rope. But the tentacles were much too fast, and had easily caught the vehicle, trying to tug it back down.

Kisobi gave a scream as she felt herself slide against _La Madame_'s wet dress. Atemu held on to her hand, and watched themselves at the brink of survival and demise. Then he closed his eyes, and clung for his life…

A rise in temperature, and a roar from Akkorokamui. The _Yuugi-ou_ opened his eyes in hope, and saw—very clearly, despite the rain—Dartz in midair. He wasn't alone, either. With him was Jounouchi's Flame Swordsman, most likely the one who had struck the squid.

The King of Atlantis walked towards the boat, and looked at the ex-pharaoh's hand, the one holding Kisobi's. "Bring _her_ to me, Pharaoh," he said.

"What do you need from Kisobi?" Atemu hissed out the question he'd asked Doma. "What's her worth?"

"Within the girl is the power to destroy the world," Dartz answered. "Much more powerful now as it had continued to nurture itself for millennia."

"Destroy the world?" Atemu looked at Kisobi in disbelief. She was still crying a bit. "How in the world will she do it, Dartz?" he asked more gently. "I just couldn't understand how she can be able to kill people."

"It _is_ hard to understand," Dartz answered in agreement, "but please, I ask you to be willing to carry the burden. Take her to Atlantis, before her rage overwhelms her."

"Rage?"

"I'm very sorry I can't tell you anymore than this, but I believe that telling everything will overwhelm _you_ even more than it will do the girl." He closed his eyes, and gave a bow. "I ask you as a king: please bring her to me in good health."

Atemu hesitated, and once more, glanced at Kisobi. She was choking back her sobs into the queen's stomach. It had almost reminded him of the truth of his own father, when he cried against his body. "Of _course_ she has to be protected," he said, "but I'm not sure if I could make any promises."

"This is the first time I heard you doubt." A smirk played along Dartz's lips. "You're afraid you couldn't protect her."

"No, I'm not!" the pharaoh denied.

"Then why don't you see for yourself?"

Atemu's eyes widened as he turned around. He was the only one standing…alive, at least. _La Madame's_ upper half was sliced clean, with the fur coat still around her bloody waist. The hand he held ended on the sinews, while the rest of Kisobi's body lay sprawled against the bow, blood staining her white dress, and all that was left of her eyes was sclera.

And Yuugi. Poor Yuugi. His corpse lay on its stomach on the stairs, but above his shirt collar was nothing but gore.

The pharaoh was on the brink of a heart attack when a cold, feminine voice crept up his neck: "You're next."

It didn't take long to finds out that it was the nightmarish girl who spoke, but when he faced her, she shoved Yuugi's bloody, disfigured face right up to his nose. Atemu screamed, and stumbled off the boat.

Still holding the mutilated arm, he fell, and the lower he went, the more vivid the horror was. Her legs straddled the head of the Orichalcos God, which she was riding, and held Yuugi's decapitated head by the scalp. This she threw at him, along with Kisobi's corpse.

"Give my regards to the Atlanteans!" she called right before he hit the ocean.

* * *

Yuugi caught Atemu's body as it jerked from the bed. And in his eyes, he saw madness. "It was a nightmare," he whispered, "everything's okay."

It took a while before he understood what he said, but when Atemu _did_ realize it, he immediately threw his arms around the hikari, and savored the living warmth he held against himself. "She killed you," he gasped. "She killed you in my dream!"

He found himself once again in _La Madame's_ cabin, where he was placed earlier that morning, and on the chair was the queen herself, smoking silently.

Yuugi pulled his brother's head downward against his chest, and crossed his own arms across his scalp. "Everything's okay now, Atemu. We all boarded safely on the ship, and Kisobi's sleeping in her room. We're on our way to the other world."

Atemu kept holding onto Yuugi. After the events of Orichalcos and the Ceremonial Battle, he can't bear losing his friends again—most especially if their fate was to be decapitated by a lunatic woman. And as he calmed, he has once again realized that he still couldn't remember her face.

"You better join the others," _La Madame_ finally spoke. "We'll be cruising our way into Jhaedizel. And if I deduce correctly…" she paused to inhale and puff smoke, "we'll be reaching Phantsma soon. You have to be inside the ship before we enter it."

"Phantsma?" Atemu asked.

"The sky-route that will take us to Jhaedizel," the woman answered. "Think of it as outer space: it is devoid of reality instead of oxygen, and in the place of stars, you will see illusions. But in both atmospheres, it is _very_ dangerous to be out in the open."

"You should see what's up there, Atemu!" said Yuugi, and the boy pulled on his hand. "Everybody's waiting for you!"

The pharaoh nodded, and got up from bed, and had met La Madame's eyes before he left the room. "One more thing," she said, "it'd be safer if you called me Lyria from this point onward. To show you're not strangers to us."

"Thanks!" said Yuugi. "C'mon, let's go before we reach Phantsma!"

The hikari led him to the elevator, and Atemu was surprised he didn't ask anything about the dream, as he had promised. At any rate, he didn't want to make Yuugi think he was breaking it. "I dreamed that the girl was riding on the Orichalcos God."

Yuugi faced him, interested. The other continued. "She killed you, _La Mad_—Lyria, and Kisobi. And when I tipped off the boat, she said to give her regards to the Atlanteans." He gulped, and exhaled sharply. "I saw her so vividly, but I still couldn't remember her as soon as I woke up. I'm afraid that she'll really come and kill me in my sleep."

Yuugi stared awhile, smiled, and finally embraced Atemu. "None of us will let that happen," he said. "You just came back. We're not gonna let you leave us again and suffer on your own."

The pharaoh felt relieved that Yuugi felt the same way he did. Neither of them could stand losing the other, even if they did have each other for the shortest time. Once again, he was grateful that Yuugi was alive in his arms. _Where can I be without you?_

They let go and reached the deck, and wind promptly blew against their faces. Outside was a deck nothing but heavy grey clouds and rain all around it. Their friends were leaning safely against the railway circling the floor, looking down to Earth below.

It was Anzu who'd caught sight of the brothers first. "Atemu!" she cried, and rushed to embrace him. "You're finally awake…"

The pharaoh smiled, and returned the hug. "I'm okay."

"Second time you fainted." Jounouchi approached them with a goofy look on his face. "That chick's _really_ out to get you."

"Not in public!" Atemu hissed.

"It's okay," Honda came over with Otogi and Shizuka. "We know. Look, the king said that it'll only be just a dream, no matter how real it seems."

"He said the girl can never _really_ kill you," added Shizuka, "but we still have to be careful."

Yuugi, who was silent, simply looked around. "Where's Bakura?"

"Must be making out with Tata or something," Otogi shrugged.

"They're not together, are they?" asked Anzu.

"Lots of people say they are. But I also heard that they have yet to go all the way." He sniggered with Honda at this.

"You guys are disgusting," Anzu rolled her eyes, and turned you Yuugi Atemu, and Jounouchi. "What do you say we feed them to Phantsma?"

"You're kidding, right?" Honda's eyes widened in disbelief. "Come on, you knew we were only joking didn't you?"

"It ain't a joke," answered Jounouchi, rather dully. "I heard the rumors too. Guys are giving up on Tata since she began talking with Bakura."

Atemu then remembered his last date with Anzu: Tata said something about settling the score with Bakura; that they argued. "Let's not get our hopes up," he finally suggested. "Anyway, it's just a rumor."

"We shouldn't get our hopes to low either," said Shizuka. "I think Tata and Bakura look really good together."

Soon right after she spoke, a silence came to them; a certain eeriness. And around them, they could swear they saw colorful lines of mist, but they didn't dare admit it to each other.

The elevator gave a ding behind them, and the doors revealed Zue. Up close, his clothes were blue and leathery, with a raised collar, and torn sleeves. "We're getting close," he said. "Everyone, get inside!"

"Does Phantsma have colored lines that trace all around you?" asked Yuugi.

"Not even close. Phantsma's an entire universe filled with color; it's very confusing to navigate it at a first glance. Now, _move_."

Zue ushered everyone into the elevator before hitting the _Cockpit_ button. Apparently, Otogi just _had_ to ask. "Hey kid, has Bakura kissed your sister yet?"

The redhead blinked. "Kiss? I don't know."

"Does she like Bakura?" Anzu came in.

"I don't know," Zue answered again. "In fact, I don't mind if she does or doesn't."

"Does Bakura like Tata?" asked Yuugi.

"I still don't know." He turned around. "Look, I know you're trying not to be nosy, but I think we have matters more important than my sister's love life. Driam was considerate enough to let you all stay, so _please_ do your part."

_Ding._ The elevator stopped, and the doors opened. The boy-twin held them open until everybody had entered, and joined them practically gaping dumb at the windshield.

Beyond it was a total swirl of color; all-different hues slid past each other like water and oil when left on a surface.

It is, of course, Phantsma. And it is _very_ dizzying to the eyes.

Zue crept behind the gang. "Like it?"

Shizuka shook her head. "No."

"Good. We'll drift through it easy, and whatever you do, don't let Phantsma in."

"What do you mean 'don't let Phantsma in'?" asked Atemu.

"No opening any airways, or going to the deck," _La Madame_ approached them. "Otherwise, Phantsma will work its magic in the ship."

"What kinda magic?" Otogi's voice trembled.

"Illusions of all kinds. It has no limit to what fantasies it can create: people, objects, even past memories and visions of the future."

"Memories and destinies aren't fantasies," objected Atemu.

"In Phantsma's case, anything that has passed and will soon pass is called fantasy, for you cannot live your past again—if otherwise, it will be altered—and you can do nothing of the future but wait for it to occur." She gave a sigh at the confused faces. "Apparently, people think of their past and future much more often than the present—excluding the case of academics."

Jounouchi growled, and clutched his head. "I still don't get it!" he said annoyingly.

"It _means_," Tata had come to them as Zue took her place at the controls. She wore the same thing as her brother's. "As long as you ain't in a classroom, Phantsma can play with anything in your head!" To emphasize her point, she gave Jounouchi a hit on the head. "Duel Monsters players don't know anything else other than Duel Monsters!"

"Given patience and encouragement, they'll survive," said _La Madame_. "Given intolerance and criticism, they'll die on the long run. Which is why it's yours and Zue's job to take care of them."

"Yeah, yeah," Tata muttered, and then scoffed. "Whatever." She turned around for a moment, and they all watched as her head perked up. "Has anyone seen Bakura?"

* * *

He backed away as she stepped forward, and soon he found himself against the wall. In the dark, she had no identifiable figure.The girl reached out her pale hand and caressed his face, and he felt the coldness against his cheek.

"How nice of you to let me in," she whispered, "now, I wouldn't have to kill you so soon."

Bakura gulped, and tried to avoid the girl's touch, but she had placed the other round his waist. He clenched his teeth together and closed his eyes. "But will have to kill you one day. I'll kill you all one by one…and end everything."

"Kisobi?" a voice was heard outside the cabin. Next, there was a knock. "Are you awake, sweetheart? Kisobi?"

The girl glanced at the door, and gave a low growl. Then she hastily returned to Bakura, and covered a hand over his mouth.

"Kisobi, I'm coming in," the door opened, and Driam entered.

Kisobi was still asleep, and there was no one else in the room. "Odd; I certainly heard voices in here…"

* * *

**A/N:** Da creeps! Da creeps! Just who is the unknown girl trying to mess Atemu's (and our) heads? Tell me if she's getting on your nerves!

Also, from here on forward, we'll address _La Madame_ as _Lyria_…okay? Further, _ask questions_ in the review…I'll use them in a QnA I'll make after this story's finished!


End file.
